Les Fleurs Du Mal
by Tomelena
Summary: 5 fairytales in one, a completely AU general Smallville fic with fantasy elements, please read the A/N before the first chapter! NC-17, mostly Lexana and Clois, but with all characters and other pairings included as well.
1. Chapter 1

**Author: Helena**

**Title: Les fleurs du mal**

**Rating: varies, mostly NC-17 due to graphic violence, horror and sex**

**Pairings/Characters: Lex/Lana, Clark/Lois, Clark/Lana, Chloe, Jimmy, Martha, Lionel, Brainiac, Pete, Oliver, Helen and actually many many more characters from all years of SV. Also , some of them might also appear with different personalities, that they played on screen (Kal, Alexander etc)**

**Genre: Drama with romance and horror elements**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea of this story**

**Spoilers: Completely AU, although vaguely, regarding the action taking place in the present, i would put it after Lexana divorce, when Lana was with Clark , staying home to make him pancakes.**

**PLEASE READ IT!**

**A/N:**** The fic was originally written for the Fairytale Challenge of DTLL, Summer 2008. It combines fantasy and fairytale elements, thus it is completely AU.**

**Apart the basic characters, you will also see various characters appearing in this fic, from all 7 years of Smallville, almost everyone that has ever appeared and held an important role in Smallville (even as a guest star) has been included. The story is rated NC-17 , for horror, violence and sex.**

**I m not gonna give a summary for the fic, cause it would be pointless, too many different things happen, not following a logic order, to actually make a summary out of it that would make sense. The whole fic revolves around 5 different stories. How those are connected and what the main plot is, that is yet to be discovered lol The stories interrupt one another to continue themselves, NOT in random points, although at first it will seem they are random. In all the stories main characters are Lex, Lana and Clark along with Lois and Chloe, but everytime they differ. I tried to give names to the characters (especially Lex and Clark) different in each story, so that readers wouldn't mix the stories, and , after reading a couple of chapters into the story, would be able to follow the plot in each story separately, not minding the sudden interruptions.Also , again in an attempt to make it clearer, whenever you see the ooooooooooo, it means change of story...whenever you see this xxx , it just means change of scenes within the same story.**

**I know it is complicated and I know it is tough...but trust me, if you have patience with this fic, in the end , it won't disappoint you one bit.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

A lightning tore through the darkened , ominous sky... momentarily brightening up the night and exposing the midnight cataclysm in all its glory..before everything succumbing itself once again to the ebony of the darkness. It was with the thunderous sound of that sole lightning, that Lex frantically burst into his office. The mansion loomed as the ultimate graveyard within a delirious vortex of storm, thunders and wind. However , there was no other place for him to run , and his last resort that hid no way out, glowed in his clouded mind as his last shelter as well.

Soaked to the skin, he paced around his silent, dark office , turning his desperate face towards every possible direction, seeking out an answer he already knew that didn't exist. His gun hanged limply from his left hand , empty and useless for long time now...being there only to remind him that once this piece of iron had been the extension of his own hand...saving his butt in numerous occasions...But not this time...There's always one time in a man's life that all his buddies leave him to stand and fight alone...even his closest ones.

Without thinking, he approached the wide glass...the world outside a black, menacing blur...His sleepless gaze though, didn't delay in capturing the dancing flashlights far across the cornfields. Appearing and vanishing randomly within the hazy turbulence. Every single time, getting closer.

He hurriedly backed away, only to trip over his desk. The thud caused by his phone when falling, only getting maximized within the deadly stillness that surrounded him. He closed his eyes, in a vain attempt to calm down the frenetic thumbing of his heart. But all the woeful thoughts crammed in his mind, would not release him from his imaginary bonds.

They were all dead...all of them...his security guards...his scientists...

He should have never come back to the mansion...all his visions were now being proved pointless...everything.

He spared a look of pity at his pathetic self...He didn't even know why he had worn this old coat when he had left the mansion, this morning...He mentally scolded himself...Such a moronic thought in such a crucial moment...

He wanted to laugh...No, he needed to laugh...to fill the silence. To create himself some company while the world was blustering outside. Instead , he did something that during different times he would describe the least as odd. Shoving, suddenly, his hand into the right pocket of his coat, he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper...forgotten by both himself and time...

Trying his best to unfold it with care, he blankly stared at its words for a few seconds, before snapping out and triggering himself to start reading. When suddenly...

**oooooooooooooooooooo**

He had woken up drenching in sweat, his eyes facing the floor first thing when they abruptly opened up. Still disorientated from his sudden fall off the pile of rugs he would call a bed, he violently shook his head and muttered an old sailor's curse under his breath.

Standing up, he straightened his back , this time avoiding any lack of balance, the tempest that seemed to threaten the horizon, was causing. All these years he had been storm-tossed through the wildest waves and maelstroms, and this sudden shake of the ship would hardly cause him the slightest stir from his sleep, let alone actually make him fall, if it hadn't been for this enigmatic vision that had been haunting his dreams.

No. It was one dream. The same one each single time. Only less clouded but yet more complicated as the nights succeeded one another.

He slowly dragged his boot cloaked feet to a bowl that was serving him as a basin. Not that he actually ever cared for his hygiene, assuming anyone in that ship had ever bumped on that word. But it was after times like this, when he , the man that everyone feared and respected, would wake up shuddering before his own nightly spectres, that he decided that pouring some water on his face, to wash away his nightmares, wouldn't really stand as a bad idea, not even for him. He let the cold water soak every fibre of his facial muscles , before saluting the menacing, scarred face on the glass he used as a mirror.

What had he dreamed of again? What damned spirit had crawled under his eyelids , shadowing the visions he had surrendered himself into? He remembered he was fighting with sharks at first. White , big sharks, with sharp , nasty jaws painted in someone's blood. His blood. Ok, so this was new. And this could hardly count as an intimidating nightmare. With the life he had led and the things he had witnessed, fighting with a bunch of sharks in his dream could as well serve as his night practice. No, it was something else. Everything seemed to unreel well in his dream - or at least according his incomplete definition of "well" - until the dark started becoming thicker and thicker and thicker...again...and he found himself once more there where no sharks existed, nor anything for the matter, except him and the abyss that was gradually swallowing him. And suddenly, in the middle of his helpless drowning into the absolute nothing, it was that fainted music again that reached his ears...That inexplicable melody, which seemed to come from miles and miles away only for him to listen to... and then there was this voice...The piercing voice of someone or something out of this world, in incredibly great agony...that repeated the same , monotonous , numinous sentence: With torches and screams, they'll come.

His gaze fell on the scratchy, old map, spread on a wooden table. He had seen something else in his dream too. Only now the fog of his mind was slowly being blurred out. There was this feeling...He could not explain it at all. But there was this certainty of knowledge...that he knew...in his dream he knew the right way. He knew the road.

Without a second thought , he took out a small bottle full of rum he always kept fastened around his leathern belt. He thirstily gulped large sips of his precious nectar. He needed to ease the pressure that kept clutching his temples, he needed to clear his mind's haze , he needed to know... His eyes widened automatically as realization hit him full force. Grabbing the small dagger from inside of his boot, he clumsily rushed to the wooden table and forcefully stabbed a small spot on the right corner of his old map. The insane sparkle in his eyes followed the fainting wobbling of the dagger, as it stayed there, stuck through the map and the table.

"There..." he whispered gleefully ..."THERE!" he howled uncontrollably.

"Busting yar chops, me matey, but yar buxom beauty just knocked off another of yar men." a familiar voice came from the entrance of his cabin.

He glared at the other man , a fifty years old, long-bearded boozer, and then, as it was the most natural reaction in the world, he flashed him a wide a grin. Which became even wider as soon as the fierce waves caused the older man to lose his balance and trip.

"Fifty years overseas, Blaine, and the only thing ye gained was yar nick...Butterfingers...Never ye know how to stand on the bloody deck."

"Aye, Xander...me challenges ya matey .. have one of these little devils" Blaine knocked on the wooden stick where his right leg once had been " and then c'mere tell old Blaine he can't stand."

"Aarr , shut up ya bilge rat..." Xander walked passed him. Despite his nightmare earlier, the discovery of the place he wholeheartedly craved to find - or at least the one his inexplicable hunch had just led him to - had balanced whatever minatory omens lingered above his head. Now, all it seemed he needed, was a brief face-to-face with his beautiful and feisty captive to seal the beginning of a fine day.

He entered a small cabin they used as a smaller cellar, storing mostly whatever wouldn't fit in the rest cabins , thus was considered by him first and foremost as unimportant. The last days though, with this charming, little wench tied up and left at his mercy, that small hole had gained a new importance, which hadn't passed unnoticed by the rest crew of his ship. He didn't manage to make more than one step though, before his boot landed on something smashed. Looking down with curiosity , he lifted an eyebrow at the sight of thrown food mixed with pieces of what once used to be a fine, porcelain plate. Stolen nonetheless, but still fine.

"She doesn't eat anything. Alack, she even bit me!" and indignant young boy whined as soon as he saw him.

Xander looked at the boy thoughtfully, sizing him up and down.

"No whiner becomes a pirate...Remember that."

Waving at the boy to leave him alone with the girl, he slowly approached her and knelt by her side. He took a moment to admire her raven, long hair as it cascaded her shoulders and back. When she stubbornly refused to turn her attention to him, preferring to keep her eyes glued on the ship's inner walls, he capped her chin and forced her face to meet his, inches apart.

"Ya know..." his breath , full of rum and manly scent brassily invaded her nostrils, making her dizzy... " If me wanted ya dead...be sure ya'd have been fed to the sharks, long ..." his nose nuzzled hers "..long time by now... That means...me wants ya alive ...and also means ... " he pulled back a bit and pointed the thrown food at her..."...ya eat."

Overcoming the momentary dizziness that his presence seemed to evoke to her every single time he touched her, she didn't hesitate to look straight in his good, blue eye. Her intense gaze seemed to suddenly pierce into his soul, and he had to pull away a bit more under the crazy fear of this girl unmasking the dark depths of his existence.

"I do not eat rubbish." Her stern voice was a little more than a whisper, yet she couldn't have sounded more adamant. "I am no pig."

"Well too bad, me beauty...cause rubbish is all we have...and thus ya shall join our farm."

"Get away from me...you stink."

Xander looked at her incredulously before bursting out in a mocking laughter, making the brunette's blood to boil even more through her petite veins.

"Have patience...yar in a pirate's ship, me little wench...soon all we'll be sharing the same smell...". He continued lightly laughing as he stood up, bringing out a few dry tobacco leaves from his pocket. Putting them together in what could resemble to the archetype of a cigarette, he used his ignescent stones to light them up. He took a long, satisfying puff, before inviting her to do the same , only to get his answer by a kick to his sensitive area, which he evaded the last moment...not even once did he stop laughing. Despite her wild behavior, this girl was amusing him to no end and the last days, he had surprisingly witnessed himself being more and more drawn towards this small cabin, than any other place in the whole ship.

"You might toss orders right and left, thinking you are the top dog of this ship...but just because you can boss around a bunch of hopeless thugs, that does not mean you hold any right over me."

"Shiver me timbers!...Right? What right? Ye forget where ye be ...Pirates do not recognize the rights of landmen... Over these seas? Yar velvet , high-class bum worths me as much as Blaine's."

They stayed silent for what seemed like ages... exchanging angry glances, neither of them accepting to avert their face, in fear of admitting some kind of preposterous defeat over their childish game. In the end, it was him that slowly turned his back to her, silently walking towards the small exit.

"He will come and save me. I know he will! He will never give me up without a fight." She suddenly growled at his back.

Xander turned around, his sinister grin decorating his scarred yet handsome face.

"Who? Yar honoured commander ? That boy-scout?" . Lifting up his tobacco, he briefly met her widened eyes before sticking out his tongue and putting off the burning poison, not even once flinching with what she would describe as unbearable pain.

"Me says...let him come".

He was still laughing when he exited the cabin, the thought of a man, like the girl's fiance, beating him up, being the greatest joke he had heard in years.

"Well, well me fine lad...playing with yar new toy? Showing her how ye bury yar treasures?" A velvet , feminine voice came to his ears. He smiled before turning around, his gaze falling upon a very voluptuous brunette, with an arrogant smile and a dagger tightly fastened on her exposed left thigh.

Zeroing the distance between them, she raised up a hand , allowing her fingertips to smoothly caress the big scar on his left cheek.

"That young , sweet mouth has made the great Xander forget the purpose of his journey, me thinks...Toys be for fun...they be thrown to the sharks once their masters feel bored"

Xander smiled back at her, before unexpectedly dragging her hand away from his face. Never letting her go though, but still tightly clasping her wrist, he brought her face close enough for him to whisper her a few words.

"Hold yer horses there, Helen. Most times, toys end up prey for the sharks, but some times they get promoted to first pirate wenches...Ye should know that better than anyone."

Letting her go, he greeted the fear in her eyes with wide amusement, before turning again his back to her, not forgetting to add as he was walking away:

"Who knows? Perhaps this master got already bored and wants to promote a new toy."

**ooooooooooooooooooooooo**

The warmly colored wallpaper, illustrating one of the glorious battles of an ancient Kryptonian dynasty, got momentarily agitated as the small door, leading to the domestic quarters, opened. Princess Lana, followed by Lady Sullivan, dashingly entered the throne hall , shining their way through, while the door behind them closed, putting an end to the battle that had been so suddenly stirred to life.

"Your Majesty".

They both curtseyed at the sight of Queen Martha Kent, absolute monarch of Krypton after King Johnathon's unfortunate death, before Lana taking a few more steps, letting the Queen welcome her with a light embrace.

"Mother", her sparkling eyes met Martha's warm smile "No words on Krypton could describe my soul's awaiting for this day. Your royal wish was to see us?"

Martha's hand tenderly caressed the young maiden's rosy cheek, as her glance bounced between the Princess and the Lady before her.

"My daughters". A pause. "Thou both know well thy names in my mind are always connected with the House of El, no matter what the blood claims. I consider thee the daughters Gods never graced me with. Therefore I could desire nothing more than thou both to be present in this very hall, when Krypton shall be closer than ever to establishing peace with our long now dreadful enemies but yet eternal neighbours."

"It shall be an honour, Your Majesty", Chloe answered with respect, giving voice to Lana's content nod.

Satisfied, Martha walked slowly to the gold-graven throne, her thoughts full of the possibilities that lied there unfolded, waiting as much as her the long due coming of Sageeth's heir. There had passed thirty years of unstoppable wars, thirty blood-stained years since the previous frail reconciliation between the two kingdoms that had led to nowhere but wilder thirst for blood and revenge. A revenge translated to thousands of dead bodies, scattered throughout the Lunar Valley, that defiled the souls of the ones that were unlucky enough to survive after every battle storm. And all this, due to a sacred rivalry with roots lost way back within the centuries of legends.

"It is my wish for all the higher members of the court to attend my meeting with Shadowland's emissary. It is an important day for the future of my people, thus no one should be missing." She cosily positioned herself on the throne and looked back at the two wenches. "Chloe, my child, thoughts are ghosting your lovely face."

"My Queen, Lord Luthor is sending his son, the Count of Metropolis, for the meeting, am I mistaken?" Chloe hesitantly asked, while taking her familiar, old position on a low bench next to the royal throne. She and Lana would spend hours there when children, two amazed pairs of eyes listening to fairytales about frightful dragons and mighty knights, leaping out of King Johnathon's fantasy.

"Nay, thou are not. Prince Luthor is the one I am waiting for, this is true. It is exactly the specific emissary's importance what makes all ye faithful to Krypton nobles, required in being present...Now what would ye say for some music to gladden the cockles of our hearts while we wait for my son to join us?" Martha affectionately smiled and gently motioned to a young musician that was standing silent next to a throne guard. The man stepped forward and after an impressively deep bow, he started caressing with virtuosity the delicate strings of his lute.

Lana unnoticeably sighed at the first sounds the instrument elicited and slowly approached one of the vitro doors that led to the grand veranda, the one dominating above the main yard before the Naman Palace. However sweet the melody filling the throne hall was, it was proved still unable to tame the nervousness flitting in her chest. Her gaze traveled outside the palace , beyond the beautifully architectured residences that harmonically surrounded it...the astounding artificial waterfalls with the crystal clear waters streaming from the banks of the river Lunar, always glowing with life beneath the morning sun...the buzzing central market , famous among all provinces for the unprocurable goodies a man could chance on...the verdurous Kent gardens, serenely expanding like a green carpet of all shapes till the great walls , where the Fortress of Solitude met its unavoidable end and the even merrier lowlands of Krypton began...or even further beyond, where her eyes would only mirror the vast horizon as a blur, and the only piece of land that would vaguely remain visible, would be the Solar Hills...Successfuly masking the forest of Mysts away from Kryptonians' sight...that mysterious neutral zone which had always hauntingly stood as the west confines of Krypton, on the long road to Shadowland.

Oh yes, her happiness and nervousness were walking hand by hand that murky morning. For it had been three long decades ever since a Shadowlander officially crossed the gates of the Fortress for the last time. But this was about to happen again that morning...and - may Gods show mercy on her taunted heart - what a Shadowlander that one was...

The large double door made of agarwood, with the platinum emblem of the House of El curved on it, unexpectedly opened, dragging everyone in the big hall away from their reverie and abruptly interrupting the soothing melody of the lute. A group of men, possibly knights and barons if their clothes and armoury were any indication, stormed into the throne hall, followed by a young servant that was desperately trying to catch up with their wide, determine strides. The group was led by a tall, dark haired young man, clad in a white jacket with silver accents, and a silver sash draping his left shoulder, clothes that undoubtedly made him stand out from his companions. Coming to a halt few steps away from the throne, the tall warrior proudly stood while the rest kneeled with respect before the Crown. The sudden stop caused the young servant to stumble and dive exasperated into what seemed like half bow, half fall , evoking whispers and low giggles from the peers around them.

"I crave your pardon, Your Majesty, I humbly ask your permission to explain myself."

Martha quirked a curious eye-brow, trying to hide her amusement when the warrior rolled his eyes at the servant's comical plea.

"Thou hast it, Peter."

"I pray you to spare forgiveness on your devoted servant, for allowing these fine men to enter your sight unannounced. I tried in vain, all the way here, to prevent them from entering first and do as the Crown of Krypton commands, but His Royal Highness would not listen!". Peter cast a stubborn glance at the prince by his side.

"God's teeth, Peter! I do not need to be announced in order to present myself before mother. Besides, I was expected, why should we waste our time on the protocol?"

" 'tis well, Peter. Kal should have known he was not coming alone in the hall. You may leave now." Martha softly smiled. She waved to a few nobles still standing outside the hall to enter before the double door closed again and everyone inside it stood up from their previous kneeling positions.

"Good morrow, my son. I am very pleased to have you and everyone else here with me this day. Lord Luthor must not be far by now."

"Mother," Kal proceeded in kissing the back of her palm " I would not miss this day for anything in the world. Actually, the duke and his small entourage from Shadowland have just passed the gates of the Fortress. They should be here at any minute."

"Small entourage you speak?"

Kal tilted his head towards a baron , still engulfed by his warrior armour, at his right side. He acknowledged the signal and took a step forward.

"Your Majesty, if you allow me."

"Go ahead my lord."

"Two riders , the Duke of Metropolis and his aide-de-camp, and one equipage with one driver, possibly carrying cargo, no passengers. No other escorts with him."

"Well the Duke obviously knows here is no Shadowland, a man does not need to have his will set before visiting us." Kal chuckled causing many of the peers around to do the same.

"Either way these news are very promising, Kal. If Shadowland's Crown is aware we hold no menacing surprises for them and we really mean to support a new peace treaty, this can only be in favor of Krypton." the Queen pensively retorted. " I was thinking though, where is our good friend and ally, Lord Queen of the Queen Empire? It was to my belief he would follow thee back to Krypton?"

"Unfortunately, Lord Queen had to delay one day his visit to Krypton, due to his own personal affairs and business in the mainland. If Gods allow it, he will encounter no problem in being here on the morrow, before the vernal feast."

"Excellent. Our people will be grateful to introduce him into the Kryptonian hospitality."

Kal's eyes wavered among the rest attendants of the meeting, noticing Lana and Chloe modestly standing by the large, velvet curtains that added a deep crimson essence to the whole luxury of the throne hall. Leaving his mother to busy herself with the rest nobles, he slowly approached the maidens , his azure eyes gluttonously swallowing the brunette's unmatchable beauty.

"Miladies"

He lightly bowed as the women curtseyed. Allowing his left hand to connect with Lana's velvet one, his thumb started making imperceptible circles on the back of her palm.

"Shall we have the pleasure of seeing thee both in the vernal feast?" he asked, changing completely the previous mood that was marked by duke Luthor's upcoming visit.

"I am not sure yet , milord." Lana moderately smiled at him. "The ladies of our court are known for making a short appearance to this local festival, but surely their gentle nurture does not endorse them staying the late ...or shall i say early...hours some lords take delight in appearing."

Chloe could not suppress a low giggle at the sight of Kal's eye-brows dangerously uniting with his dark locks, after Lana's witty answer. The prince himself, however, generously grinned.

"Fair enough I must admit. What about thou, mistress Chloe? Will you join Lord Oliver and me when succumbing ourselves to this fine, Kryptonian fete?"

Not missing the crimson rill that instantly ran through her cheeks, he lowered his head , mischievously whispering, " Certes, his company can be proved very invigorative."

Chloe gulped but quickly composed herself . "Pity at him , i say, whose eyes stay blind before the morning light and whose ears stay deaf to the sweet music of the blooming nature", a murmur escaped her lips as she glared at him from the corner of her eye.

Kal's goofy frown revealed his momentary confusion over the blond's retort. "Uhm...for thine own benefit, midaly, I do not advise thee to say something like this to Lord Oliver."

Lana silently shook her head at her two friends. All these years, Kal had indeed remained blind and deaf before Chloe's troubled soul while the blond's heart was held captive of her secret crush for him. They had all three been raised up together and shared unforgettable memories of a light-hearted childhood, whose laughter was still echoing through the long, royal corridors. Fate had united them under its cruelty all these years back, when the war had reached its frenetic peak, making every soul in Krypton and Shadowland run berserk. It was when the tragic murder of her parents and the fall of their county into the enemy's hands, shadowed her future, leaving her a fortune-less orphan, that her aunt, the countess of Langshire, had seeked shelter for them in the royal palace.Ever since her youth, lady Nell had been an appreciated member of the royal inner circle of acquaintances, hence the King and Queen had rushed to secure them under their protective wings, as soon as they had found themselves in need. And although her faded memory was betraying her, Lana could still remember one of the first scenes she had laid eyes upon, among the marble walls of the palace: a young , blond girl, bawling in her father's arms, not understanding the reasons, but still refusing to let the fatherly nest go, while a heart-broken General Sullivan was handing his only child to the Queen, after his wife's woeful death. He had left for the battle field with the dawn.

And then, the pain...and the darkness..had generously delivered their place in their hearts, to light. They lived there, among the pillars made of basalt and gold, sealed away from the burning world outside. It was not long after their coming, that the royal couple expressed their will to adopt her. Martha's soul-eatening crave to be blessed with a daughter, had always remained unfulfilled, and to her eyes, the little brunette girl, with the melancholic gaze, glowed as an unexpected gift sent from heaven. They had chosen her, over Chloe...maybe because one day she would become the rightful mistress of Langshire, while Chloe would always remain a noble's daughter...maybe because her parents had both passed away , while General Sullivan was still there, serving with all his might the Kryptonian army...maybe because life is just a random game, with twists and conclusions that do not always need to be explained...She was the one to be called a princess, but everyone knew that Johnathon and Martha had always affectionately treated both as their daughters nonetheless. The only detail was that...with the adoption, along came the title...and with the title, along came Kal.

Chloe had never confessed her feelings about their common friend to her and Lana, her tactfulness an inbred virtue, had never pushed Chloe into telling her. She would have to be blind by choice though to never notice Chloe's cheeks flaring up every time herself and Kal would privately talk and giggle in one of the countless corners of the colossal palace. And the clever, young woman Chloe was, it was no secret to her either to what extent Lana was aware of her inner, indecent desires, regarding a special , dark haired man. They had silently agreed though that any competition over the male gender should get sacrificed before the sacred altar of their old friendship. However, sometimes, Lana couldn't help but wonder if the result of an equation can be called friendship, when jealousy has always been standing as one of the factors.

Suddenly, the royal horns echoed, unleashing a sublime and festal sound through the palace. The various clusters of nobles were hurriedly dispersed, and Kal , always with the company of the two beautiful ladies, stepped forward as a whispering rustle unreeled throughout the throne hall. The double door opened once more, and Peter appeared, his face a mixture of awe and fear. Making a few steps to the front, he cleared his throat and took a deep breath while swelling with pride.

"His Imperial and Royal Highness, the Duke of Metropolis".

Deadly hush fell heavier than lead upon the peers, instantly darkening the hall. The tall, black caped man and his retinue, stoutly strode along the red carpet that led to the throne. The dark cape was responding with a light wave to each one of the duke's confident strides, all the way allowing the pale faces around glimpses of its velvet, crimson lining. There was this myth haunting the cape's existence... a story well known among the warriors...always narrated by the elders to the younger defenders of both kingdoms. They used to say that the dark color of the cape served to block out the sunlight in the battle field and frighten the duke's enemies, but its lining was painted by the slaughtered soldiers' blood.

Lana's breath unevenly flittered up her throat as she watched him passing in front of her, his lofty mien not even once caring to spare a glance at the abashed souls around him. Her eyes followed him almost hypnotized by the twinkle of the morning light, as it was entering the hall only to dance on his shoulders' silver buckles, making the graven Dragon on them, the official emblem of Shadowland, shine with menace.

"So...behold thy notorious friend..." Chloe's whisper pulled her out of her trance.

"He is not my friend." her voice seemed stable enough, but her eyes never left him. "I only firmly believe in peace between the two people, and if lord Alexander is the one to support the new era, then i welcome the change."

"I shall believe in this new era only when I lay mine eyes upon it." Chloe bitterly added , her doubts over Shadowland's intentions always being the epitome of their disagreements.

Stopping before the throne, his eyes glued on no other than the Queen herself, Alexander raised hir right hand, pleating the side of his cape behind him, in a denotation of respect. His aide-de-camp , standing right behind him, lightly nodded his head; no Shadowlander ever declared allegiance to Kryptonian royalty, so kneeling could only be for them a forceable action, but every peer and warrior from both kingdoms would still pay their respect to royal blood in this manner.

"Lord Alexander Luthor, Duke of Metropolis and sole heir of the throne of Shadowland, in behalf of my people, I welcome you to Krypton." Martha formally stated to the man that proudly stood before her.

"Many thanks, Your Grace. " His cold, deep voice pierced through the lingering silence. "It is with great honour that Shadowland salutes this day. The day that the two kingdoms finally allowed themselves a chance to a better future."

Martha's lips curled to a reserved smile. Despite his bleak, expressionless face, a face before which hundreds of hearts had learned to squirm with terror, Alexander's salutation had already raised her hopes that, this time, they had finally chosen the right path.

"I shall not hide from you, my Lord, the great euphoria your words are filling my heart with. For centuries our empires have been trying in vain to accomplish prosperity and peace... and for centuries they are ending up doused in crimson waters. If , by coming this day inside the sacred walls of the Naman palace, Shadowland can guarantee that the war will be buried along with the last dead, then with the power the Crown and its loyal people give me, i reassure you that Krypton will only stand as a ministrant of the benefits of both kingdoms."

"You are a clever woman , Your Grace... and you have capable officers and trackers under your command...Hence, perchance, what my lips shall herald is already news long known for you...but Shadowland has long now retrieved every last battalion from the Lunar valley. The cessation of hostilities has been a welcomed reality for weeks to this day, and there has not been a single incident a Shadowlander soldier has been involved to ever since." Alexander paused for a second , the strong , absolute tone of his voice giving place to a more confident one, as for the first time since he had entered the palace, a ghost of what would be a smug smile, cracked the adamant mask that was considered his face.

"...However, this is not where Shadowland's initiatives come to a halt."

Without turning his head around even for a moment, he raised his right hand and invisibly waved towards the deep end of the hall, causing every pair of eyes in the vast room, to curiously center their attention on that direction. Soon, two Kryptonian servants, stepped forward, carrying a heavy chest out of iron, all the way to where he was standing. Looking truly toil-worn after they placed it down, one of them proceeded in opening it, exposing its precious load to the public eyes.

Not even Martha herself managed to surpress a low , surprised gasp before the view of what Kryptonians considered an unrpocurable treasure; coal.

Without showing any obvious interest or surprise to the nobles' reactions, Alexander reached one black rock with his leathern gloved hand , and held it up, so that every voracious soul in the hall would drool over the possibilities he was more than ready to unfold before them.

"Allow me to present you Shadowland's further intentions; trade" His last word echoed clear and absolute through the hall, catching everyone off guard. It had never been a secret to Shadowlanders how much Kryptonians valued the importance of coal. However wealthy and gifted that land was, Krypton lacked the very resources that graced everything with life and provided the ultimate safety to the whole empire; the necessary energy for the great mill to keep running and , thus, the imposing dam of the river Lunar to continue holding back the unavoidable onrush of the river's waters...a feared nightmare that would cause thousands of lives if it ever crossed roads with reality.

"Shadowland might be considered a bowery, dark place however it has always been famous for its mines, which produce tons of coal on daily basis. Outside the palace, my driver will probably have already unloaded all the goods we fetched with us, as the best samples and proofs of what our common future could be." Noticing the surprise and the momentary hesitation sparkling through Martha's eyes, Alexander dared a small step to the front, slightly lowering his voice onto a balmier level.

"An it please you, your Grace, i firmly believe that commercial relations could become an indissoluble bond between the two kingdoms. This peace treaty, whether it is finally signed by both sides in the future, it can expand more than just a mutual agreement in cease-fire. Shadowland could actually benefit Krypton and vice versa, however venturesome this thought might presently seem as it is greeting our eyes."

It felt like the air had been drained from every pair of lungs in the room, as everyone held their breath , impatiently awaiting for the Queen's reaction before the unexpected ace that had been just revealed and featly thrown onto the table. And it shined as a big relief , once Martha's faint grin started forming on her aged face.

"I welcome the possibilities, my Lord! Your suggestions could be used as a good base to start with, once the official negotiations take place." , she sincerely stated and her glance danced around the peers, eagerly searching for the approval of the elders. " But now i shall allow my faithful councellors and rest nobles to take the speech. Krypton's future involves everyone in this hall, and since His Highness, Lord Luthor, accepted my personal invitation and came to our land, it shall only be fair and worthy of his time and presence, if we consider his suggestions with profound thoughtfulness and true concern."

It didn't take a long for a tanned man, dressed with the most serious and doubtful face, to step ahead.

"May I ask for your permission, Your Majesty "

"Certes, sir John."

Clearing his throat, the knight bravely focused his gaze on Alexander's pride.

"All the ideas you brought us this morning, lord Alexander, emerge undoubtedly very promising before our eyes. Nevertheless, while i ve been listening to you talking and talking, a single thought kept spinning inside my mind, craving for an answer; You might say you personally support the permanent end of the wars and proclaim the beginning of a new age for all, but what is your father's and absolute monarch's of Shadowland opinion on everything you seem to evangelize? Who or what can guarantee us that the cruel King of Shadowland, the main, unscrupulous enemy of our kingdom for decades, shares the opinions that were heard this day in this very room?"

It was the firt time Alexander averted his eyes from Martha and let them waver amused and not without a glint of arrogance, on the man on his right. He might have been addressed as "John" within the safe walls of this palace, but Alexander had more than once encountered him in burning battlefields, where he was only known as the Manhunter. His lowered his gaze, showily allowing it to linger more than it was necessary, above John's left forearm, where he knew, better than anyone, that a terrible scar was successfully hiding itself under the thick clothing. A painful scar caused by his own sword.

John eyes' instantly hardened.

" Now by my faith, sir John!" his pretended surprise seemed to amuse the rest nobles. " What better guarantee could a man ask for than the word and presence of the King's son himself?"

The light laughter that was quickly spread through the hall, didn't seem to discourage John who didn't waste his time , but insisted, poisoning the atmosphere with his words.

"In this case, i crave your pardon, lord Alexander, but even every peasant in Krypton hath been well aware all these years, that your relations with the King cannot honestly be defined as the ideal bonds a father and a son would hope for one another."

"Sir John" the aggravating tone in Martha's voice caused many hearts around to pace with anticipation and agony "shall I remind thee that Lord Luthor happens to be our honoured guest?"

Alexander's eyes gazed the marble floor , as he shook his head and chuckled bitterly, before tilting up his face once again, his voice soft and low, but stable as he spoke:

"I understand that all of ye in this hall lay eyes on me full of doubts and suspicions. I shall blame no soul for that, for i could not take back , even if i sacrificed my soul to this cause, the decades of blood and terror that ruled our lives. I have caused unspeakable pain to every man's family in this very room, and i have personally fought against at least half of them during my life. But you should know that for every Kryptonian that left his last breath in the battle field , there were at least two Shadowlanders out there suffering the consequences the same. No mortal man could find words to describe the exigencies my people suffered through the decades and no Kryptonian ever left wounded the dark, sinister battle field only to seek snugness and hope in an even darker and more sinister place, that he called , so ironically , "home". In the end, it is the benefit and smile on the faces of those very people , i crave years and years to see, that brings me hither this blessed morning ...and it shall only be the future of these people i shall use from now on, as my guarantee for the truth in whatever i mouthed before you this day."

For a mere moment, it seemed as if everything dived into the most uncomfortable stillness. As if everything died but still refused to acknowledge the signs of death. As if neither a simple movement, nor a single whisper would actually tear the perfect silence. And then, the Queen softly spoke.

"You hast not any obligation to explain your self, lord Alexander, for this hath been a common decision of both sides; To end this war. Allow me to confess to you, my lord, the future you so graphically described, is the future i envision for Krypton myself. Yonder, you can see my only son and heir of Krypton's Crown, who , as well, retrieved his forces from the Lunar valley and joined us this day , welcoming the possibility of a new era beginning between the two empires. Next to him is standing his future bride, ye may all very well know princess Lana Lang, from Langshire...a place that it is still under Shadowland's captivity...Lord Luthor..it is the future of these two people, of the grandsons they will bless me with one day, of the whole new generation that shyly makes its first steps in Krypton, that i dearly care about...It is their future i envision, a future where peace will not be a demand anymore, but it will be taken for granted. You can guarantee that this future...their future... is among the possibilities that you, as the emissary from Shadowland, foresee this day before me?"

Alexander slightly turned his eyes , allowing a brief glance towards Kal. An unnoticeable , venomous twinkle danced for a mere second within his blues , when the Kryptonian prince possessively squeezed Lana's hand, before fading away , just as unexpectedly as it had originally appeared, allowing Alexander to wear once more his alabaster facade.

No one seemed to have noticed it, just like no one seemed to notice it when he carefully chose his following words.

"I can guarantee you, Your Grace, i shall make sure that many possibilities will remain open for this...future."

The Queen appeared very pleased with the outcome of the discussion over all, thus she didn't delay in inviting Alexander and his retinue to join them into one of the royal salles for an exquisite breakfast, an offer , however, the young Shadowlander kindly declined. Apparently, lord Luthor had a series of meetings to attend and a group of affairs to take care of, that single day, which prevented him from expanding his stay in the Naman palace, although people would seriously doubt he would have taken advantage of the alternative, taken he would have been completely free. There was something serenely cold and oddly unfriendly in that man, or at least this was what all those, bred in the lap of luxury, nobles would feel when meeting this hardened warrior. But certainly, as soon as he left the throne hall, there were more than a few souls among those walls, that finally allowed themselves to embrace the aching relief.

**XXX**

"Somewhere in my mind, i tend to doubt that someone like you, mother, would sincerely trust his intentions."

"I do not befool myself, Kal. The Duke's ideas were indeed a salve to my consciousness that we finally attempt the right thing. There are possibilities...The most suspicious Kryptonian cannot deny that. However changes do not happen within a few days. What is rotten during the night, stays rotten in the first light of the day as well. It needs its time and process until it is reborn."

Queen Martha and Kal watched from the great veranda of the palace, as lord Luthor proudly rode his raven horse away from the Fortress of Solitude. Dozens of villagers had gathered around the palace, the visit of the most fearsome Shadowlander being both an object of attraction for their curious spirits and an imposing sight before which their souls trembled with fear.

"Well, it is not worthy of wonder that once the lord left, the glowering clouds that had blocked out the sunlight the whole morning, finally gave their place to the glorious Kryptonian sun again. Do we really seek for the lord's visits?" Chloe laughed as she joined mother and son, followed by a silent Lana.

"Oh Lady Chloe, what art thou implying? That the shadows followed their master?" Kal not even once hesitating in contributing to the blond's joke.

But Lana did not care. Her eyes eagerly searched for the black dot riding away in the horizon, her heart uncontrollably thumping in the folds of her chest. Not that it had stopped its frenzied pace ever since the moment he had graced her sight with his presence, inside the Naman palace. She had to leave her friends' company now though. Cause every second it passed, the invisible stranglehold around her neck, became more and more suffocating.

"I am going to have a ride around the Kent gardens. We woke up very early for the meeting and i think it would be wise if i took advantage of these shining, morning hours for an invigorating riding." Lana flashed a bright smile at them.

Kal responded to her charming smile with one of his own.

"Such an excellent idea! I would recommend you, milady, to take one of the new horses i brought with my return from the Queen Empire. They are trained, well behaved and..."

"I was actually thinking of taking Spit Fire". Lana quickly spat out.

Kal frowned and instinctively folded his arms on his chest, something that always annoyed Lana, as , without noticing it, he was taking every single time a very interrogating and dominant position. And she had never applied to join his battalion the last time she had checked.

"Why would thou take Spit Fire? Undoubtedly , it is a very vigorous and beautiful horse, but riding Spit Fire is like flying with the wind. If I did not know better, milady, i would say thou were preparing thy self for a fast travel outside the Fortress."

"Relax, my lord, and I am not planning on abandoning Krypton yet." Lana joked and smiled wholeheartedly at him. " But i think thou hast been away for too long, that thou could not possibly understand how much me and Spit Fire have bonded together."

"This is true." Chloe nodded. "Lately, Lana often takes Spit Fire to the Kent Gardens."

"And what about thy self, Mistress Chloe? Care to join the princess through this light-hearted ride?"

Lana anxiously glanced at Chloe. She kept her fake smile unalterable , her hand though nervously toying with the hem of her gown.

"Nay, my lord." Chloe lazily rejected Kal's idea. "We had indeed to wake up pretty early. I think i shall permit myself the luxury of a few additional hours of peaceful sleep."

A silent sigh escaped Lana's soul. Without wasting any more time, in case more "creative" ideas striked her beautiful companion, she stepped on her toes and pressed her lips on his own , into a skittish , light kiss which she made sure to end before he found the time to return it.

"I shall see thee anon" she whispered to him, before curtseying in front of the Queen and leaving...never glancing back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The air was humid. His gait was quick, as he was cutting his way through the darkened forest. He slightly lifted up the hood of his cloak, to glance through the looming trees at the gleaming full moon. Its position sent him the warning signal; it was almost about time and he should hurry. Pressing tightly the precious package on his ribs, carefully wrapped with an old cloth, he quickened his pace even more, following the narrow, serpent-shaped path until it fainted.

From afar, the ominous bay of a wolf pierced through the nightly orchestra of the forest. He started cracking and removing branches from his way, as he dived more and more deeply into the heart of the forest. The lingering moisture around him, was dampening his skin and he could feel numerous pairs of eyes watching his invasion through the bushes. When the wild vegetation around him became impenetrable, he fell on his stomach, pulling his weight through the thick and thorny foliages. He trailed himself on the rugged ground for about fifteen meters, when the first orphic chants reached his ears. He muttered a curse under his breath; he wasn't far.

After a few minutes, the vegetation started turning more sparse, allowing him to actually stand up, and soon the beginning of a luminous glade, greeted him under the silver light of the full moon. It was a small clearing, well hidden in the heart of the forest from anyone unsuspected, but it had nothing to jealous from any other place around, as it gifted its visitors with a unique opening to the night sky. In the middle of it, about twelve dark cloaked figures had formed a small circle , uniting their voices into a mystical melody that filled the midnight vault. Twelve torches tied onto twelve iron sticks hammered into the damp soil, surrounded the small flock.

One of them, separated himself from his companions and paced his way towards his direction. Coming to a halt in front of him, the myst's eyes met his own with the familiar supressed hate that for years now emanated from their depths.

"Did you bring them?"

He reluctantly shoved the package in the myst's open hands.

"Go away now."

When he didn't react to his blunt order, the myst's guise turned more sinister.

"Go away, you have no place here."

He brassily glared at the older man, but this time he turned his back and walked away from the mysts. However, he had no intention to abandon the glade. Making sure no one was paying attention to him anymore, and avoiding to approach the betraying light the torches poured around, he found his familiar hide behind the age-long oak tree.

Ever since he was a child, he had been watching all the great rituals from that very hide, guarded away from any hostile stares. The thought of his childhood unavoidably flooded his mind with painful memories, all of them ghosts that had been locked away from his conscience.

_"Lillian gave birth to a child that doesn't bear the sign, what a misfortunate omen for the clan!"_

_"What do you mean you have never seen them, Alex? Everyone can see the unicorns! Are you dumb?"_

'Hypocrites' he bitterly thought as the past woke up from its grave and came crawling back to his awareness...The terrified voices of his fellow villagers...the mocking jokes of the rest children that escorted him through his early years.

_"The son of the great myst, MY son , not seeing magic...You are a disgrace to our family..."_

"And the biggest hypocrite of them all..." he whispered to himself. However the ever growing sound of the chants, eventually dissolved the narcotic cloud of his memories, bringing him back to the reality of the glade. The torches had already been put off, letting the darkness unravel its veil on the glade, allowing the full moon to be the only glorious source of light. He didn't really know why he kept coming in these rituals. He had never seen anything happening, just like he had never seen any of the magical creatures of the forest, nor ever heard the hypnotizing song of the nymphs, nor a single time had he lost his way in supposed mazes that went on and on for miles , after entering the hollow of an old tree. He would never see the magic, because , frankly? He had never believed in it. And it sickened him that his fellow villagers would waste their time in collecting stones and performing rituals , than attempting to slowly and gradually come in contact with the Others; those that had never set their foot in the forest.

It was clear to him that the only reason he was attending, even if secretly, those rituals anymore, was due to a dear habit he wasn't ready to abandon yet and a shadow of what once was a childish yearning to see what he had been denied.

Such cynical thoughts flowed Alex's mind, when his eyes caught the first spark within the small circle of the Mysts. He shook his head and instantly straightened his back from his sitting position. First idea that popped into his mind was that his vision must have been fooling with him, he couldn't honestly have seen what he thought he had. Carefully observing the Mysts, he realized they hadn't noticed anything, as they continued their esoteric ceremony. But , as soon as he had convinced himself that the so called spark had only been a game of his tired mind, it happened again. A second spark, more like a thin beam of red light , bounced from the middle of the circle , disappearing in the obscureness as fast as it had appeared. There was no doubt now that he had not been imagining all this, as it was also clear that the Mysts had no idea of what was happening right in front their clouded eyes.

He couldn't decide what he should do. A part of him wanted to gush out of his hide, howling at the men for this great mystery he was witnessing, while another part of him just wanted to sneak his way into the surrounding bushes and discover the impious human beings that were having fun with him, using the ritual as their bait.

It was not written though for him to do either. For as soon as the clouds momentarily eclipsed the moon, sinking the glade into the most abysmal darkness, the most dazzling beam of white light jumped out from where the unsuspected Mysts must have been standing...shedding its sublime luminance towards every possible direction...blinding him as it hit him full force before returning its stolen place to the darkness.

**oooooooooooooo**

"Something tells me that, no matter how much you keep staring at it, it won't refill the glass on its own."

Snapping out of his lethargic reverie, he condescendingly smiled at the young girl behind the splotched, wooden counter.

"Sorry, I.. " his eye-brows joined to a light frowning, addressed to his own self "...got distracted."

"Hey , i hardly noticed." She light-heartedly joked , earning a chuckle of his own. She was looking at him with curiosity and amusement combined and it intrigued him that there was actually someone out there that would not consider him as colorless as he thought himself of.

Grabbing the bottle of tequila - which he assumed he was unintentionally ogling for quite some time - she filled the glass that stood empty on the counter, all along lifting a curious eye-brow at him. He shined naturally plain and simple, as if everything and nothing could spin around in his mind, his eyes watching with interest such an unimpressive action as the refilling of his glass.

On his part, he had assumed this was his glass, and that it was him the one that had treasured every last drop of his drink , until there was no more for him to devour. But if it wasn't for the undoubted taste of tequila on his lips, he could swear the past minutes were a mystery to him. A mystery he wouldn't care to solve however, because it would be just another blank moment in the chain of such moments that wrapped itself around his mind.

"So, what's with all these drinks? Tough night?"

"Drinks...plural..." he whispered to himself.

Her gaze fell on his old, tatty clothes. He was clean and a glance on his old waistcoat or his expensive, short turnover shirt collar, would convince anyone that this man sat , or once upon a time used to sit, on luxurious sofas, drinking the finest of scotch , rather than drinking away his well covered sorrow in an old, disreputable tavern.

"Hey, sweet melons!" A hoarse voice, emerging from a group of churls that had been playing cards for hours, violated their ears. He curiously glanced over his shoulder, only to notice a half-drunk man at his thirties, whose eyes seemed pinned on the girl's luscious carves, being encouraged by the plaudit of his even more disgusting companions. "Why not bringing me another bottle of beer and yourself for desert, huh?"

The girl with the auburn hair , rolled showily her eyes before grinning mockingly at the would-be lover.

"Hey I have a better idea, why not taking that bottle of beer and sticking it up your fat ass? Have you ever tried? You'd be drunk in a minute, same result, precious time saved."

Her words made everyone in the small tavern burst into uncontrollable laughter, scoring her offender off. She joyfully proceeded in grabbing one beer from the barrel beside her and placing it on the counter with a thud.

"Here's your beer. You come and serve yourself. Oh, and the name's Lois, want it written? Try any smart-ass nick again , and these two melons will be the last thing you'll lay eyes upon."

He stared at her, amazed by her brassiness and courage , especially when considering that each one of those nasty relics of men, outweighted her two and three times and...well, neither him, nor any of the rest few tired souls inside the old tavern , could actually shield her against them with success, if that need ever occurred.

"Had to take care of this buffoon." She reprovingly shook her head. " Sun hasn't set yet and they are already squiffy...go figure."

"Hey, I hardly noticed." He winked, earning her honest smile. Unexpectedly, her beautiful face lightened up as a newfound idea sneaked its way in her witty mind. Placing another glass on the counter, she poured some of the alcohol heaven into it.

"Cheers!"

He examined her face as she gulped down every drop. Sensing his inquisitive stare all over her, she looked up at him and shrugged.

"Trust me...this is the only way to survive the night here."

"Which consequently leads me to wonder...what does a girl like you want in a hovel like this?"

"You think i could belong somewhere else?"

"It depends, i guess...You feel like belonging here?"

"No. Flat no. But, truth mate? This type of life is the only one I know." Her disarming sincerity assuaged this painful feeling of lost purpose that had been perturbing the neurons of his mind. For a reason he stood unable to fathom, he could relate to this girl.

"You are not from around here, are you?"

Lois playfully narrowed her eyes on him. "You are not one of this oracles that have made this town their camp, are you?"

He heartily laughed at her funny retort.

"No, i reassure you I am not fond of 'camping'. It is just what my hunch tells me."

"Then i suggest you listen to this hunch of yours more often, mate...Yeah, i am not from this town."

"Which makes us complete a full circle and return to wonder number one...how did Lois end up here..."

"Right...well, i didn't sprout all of a sudden...One fine morning, i just left home, to chase my dreams, seize the day, follow my heart, grab the bull by its thorns...and other stereotypes like these."

He nodded with understanding.

"So , your desire was to change your life...experience a better one."

"Isn't this everyone's desire?" she sighed while a hint of nostalgia colored her voice. "At first, I had afforded a seat at the back of a carriage, halfway here. When i ran out of money, i just continued on foot. After 3 days and nights of sleeping in the countryside, man , you can imagine i was exhausted. So i settled for this town. You could say that "here" is as far as my money and physical endurance brought me...In the first weeks , i kept changing jobs around. I was doing mostly errands, to earn me my lunch and sleep for the day.. For a short while, i worked at a blacksmith's. Until the old fart decided my bum was too much of a temptation to resist."

"I am sorry to hear this."

"Pfft, don't worry about me, i was fine." Lois made a dismissive gesture. " Better worry for the blacksmith's black eye and his broken two front teeth." She winked gaining his spontaneous chuckle. " And then, i found this job here. It's tough, but the money is good...at least for the moment. The guy that owns the place? He's a prick. But he's out of town most of the time, so i have my peace."

"Something tells me though, you still have something else in the back of your mind. A change you would like to happen, another job." He didn't know from where he was pumping all this insight, that day. He wasn't even sure if this was how he was supposed to act. But he couldn't stop wondering if the miraculous awakening from his abysmal languor in the very tavern, at the very moment, had been all but a coincidence.

Lois seemed to debate with herself for a second on how to handle all these shrewd guesses of his.

"Well...you might laugh about it...and mark my word, if you do, you will most likely befriend that blacksmith in common luck...but, yeah there is something i always craved to do, especially since i set foot on this town."

The hortative expression of his face , encouraged her to continue.

"I guess i would...i would like , no wait...I would love to work at the local newspaper. Might seem weird and totally out of the blue, I won't deny that. But i would be hopping around from joy, even if i managed to work at the printery. As long as i could be where the smell of ink overflows the air...And , I am no fool, a woman writing in a newspaper, even if she just sticks to the orbituaries, won't make the male chauvinist pigs around here, happy , you know?... But i stand to differ. And i want to try...Hey, in worst case scenario? I will just find myself travelling at the back of a carriage for the next town...at least that time, i won't go tramping in the country , middle-journey."

He stood silent for a moment, his gaze wavering on her features, engulfed by his own cogitations. Lois on the other hand, found herself nervously awaiting for the opinion of a man she barely knew, a stranger to her and to everything she had experienced till that moment. But there was something undeniably captivating as well as incomprehensible about him , and for the first time in her short life, not in the proverbial way.

"I , for once, will be the first to stand in the line and buy any newspaper that will have your name on it...even if it is for me to read what funeral is happening this week."

She beamed at his words, taking pride in gaining already her first reader. "Besides, want to know something? With the things i have learned from my job around here, i could even support a whole newspaper myself. Sounds funny, right mate? But God knows , i am not talking bullshit. You cannot imagine what those two poor ears have been hearing all along. This town , i swear, is the center of gossip and vice. Some of them became land lords of swampy farms, and ever since, their noses point up in the sky...you are laughing, aren't you? Well it is laughable. But they have become so arrogant, thinking a piece of land automatically makes them step up the social ladder. Not to mention about the superstitions that threaten to start looking like the damn plague."

Somewhere in the thorny maze of his mind, a light seemed to suddenly start gleaming from afar.

"Superstitions...?"

"Yes, you heard me right. You have no idea how deeply rooted in their legends and beliefs anything related to witchcraft is. Try wear a black gown when they know you do not grieve or go outside your house at night, for any reason they wouldn't know about, and you are automatically the embodiment of Merlin...er, you know that grampa, right? Right...Now if you ask me? I tend to think that a black cat is as annoying as any other cat is, however everyone else in this place acts like we live in bloody Salem, only two hundred years later!"

He remained speechless. He could spy on a part of himself that had been lost inside his rambling mind, in vain trying to reach that fading light, and somehow it had occurred to him that the more he learned about the occultism that envenomed that place, the closer to that light of his own truth he could get.

"You are doing it again."

"I am sorry...what?"

"You lost yourself there for a minute."

"Oh..."

"So... what about your nibs, huh? Funny thing, i don't even know how to call you yet...So what's your name..nick..or whatever you go by anyway? It's only fair."

He lightly smirked , instinctively opening his mouth to answer the question...only to remain still, and frown visibly confused. His eyes drifted to the wall past her , and stayed there, as his tired mind struggled to search through its webby depths for a satisfying answer. Only , for the life of his, he couldn't find any.

"I...I don't remember."

He looked at her with honesty, as a shade of desperation graved his face before the realization of his lost identity. She appeared ready to protest, when , unexpectedly, she took a step back , and studied him with renewed curiosity. Maybe she should have already figured it out. The tatty clothes...the sentiment of loss... He noticed the change in her expressions, and found himself eagerly hanging from her lips, in case she would be willing to share with him whatever secret about him she had discovered.

Unaware of his inner tumult, but still putting an end to his misery nonetheless, she leaned over the counter, narrowing her eyes almost conspiratorially at him.

"You are ithe _Poet_...aren't you?"

He gulped. He wanted to scream "no", that he had no memory of what she was talking about, that whomever she thought he was, had no common ground with whom he felt he was, but instead he detected himself slowly nodding at her question...accepting a destiny he could not comprehend.

"Oh wow...I had heard some rumors about you...i always wondered how it would be to accidentally bump on you...to finally meet that other stranger that had showed up around here...i had thought" she sadly smiled " ... i had thought it would feel less lonely, you know?"

Clenching his fists under the pressure invading his nerves, he widened his eyes in abashment, at the feeling of paper being crumpled inside his lelft palm...a paper he hadn't sensed he was dearly holding all along. Looking down at the paper, he couldn't help but recognize his own hand writing, in one single sentence.

"What is that?" she avidly inquired.

"I...I am writing a poem...but.." he paused, realizing the truth in his words as soon as he was mouthing them "... but i can't seem to figure out how to continue..I have stuck in that lyric..I..."

He looked again down at that lonely lyric written on his paper...

_"With torches and screams, they'll come.".._he whispered , his eyes searching the void for an explanation.

"I don't know what to write next..."

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Can't help you here, mate. The closest to poetry i got was through the nursery rhymes i used to yelled at my sister, in case she would stop her whining and just shut up."

When her joke didn't seem to elicit any reaction from her companion, still leaving him drown in his tormenting thoughts, she attempted another approach.

"What would you say if I returned the question?..like..what does a man like you want in a nuts-place like this? How did you end up here?"

He stared at her blankly for a second before a sparkle of sweet nostalgia flash across his face.

"All i know is...i woke up in that garden...so arid it was...and the thick vegetation around me had died...it stood there, still and out of life, but...it looked so beautiful...those everlasting flowers... among the wild herbs, that tainted them like parasites...and all around me and upon me white flakes were silently falling... of ash.." his sorrow evoked a low chuckle.." flakes of ash..." he repeated as if not believing the magic of the moment he had lived. "But i was not alone...as.that intoxicant odour was filling my nostrils... I opened my eyes and..."

Following the invisible thread the hand of Fate had secretly given him, he turned his face towards the one and only window of the tavern, and his lonesome heart skipped a beat. A raven haired woman, tightly clinging to her dark cloat...her cold, distant beauty embellishing his view, as she airily passed outside the tavern. Her long, black gown almost kissed the ground, making her steps seem invisible...eathereal...as her cloak gracefully waved in the wind...and the same unique odour seized and toyed with his senses.

"...there she was." he whispered almost hypnotized.

Lois followed his gaze and frowned in confusion.

"Who? The Baroness?"

His focus instantly turned to her, an earnest blaze flashing before his eyes.

"You know the Baroness?" she doubted him.

"In her garden was where i woke up. I think i...i think I live in her residence."

She stared at him bewildered. "You mean to tell me you actually live in the Tower?...whoah...i didn't see that coming, mate...Talking about sleeping in the center of the fire."

She met the questions deep in his blues and sighed. "I am just saying that...you couldn't have chosen a more wicked place for your personal shelter. Well, taken there is the slightest seed of truth in those superstitions."

All this strange information was too much for him to process. Especially when the blood inside his veins had frozen and been trigerred into motion again within seconds, while his heart kept thumping in the rhythm of that cloak, as it waved its way through the wind.

Swiftly , he stood up .

"I have to go." His hands fidgeted with his pockets and he wished that, additional to all the rest, he wasn't broke as well. He didn't delay in finding what he was looking for, though. Taking out of his waistcoat's pocket a silver coin, he stared at it in mild surprise, before handing it to Lois, and hurriedly storming out of the tavern.

The cold wind ruthlessly smacked his face, whipping up the dust from the nearby dirt road and befogging his vision. But through that chaos of passers by , carriages and dust, her heavenly odour was unmistakable, and his gaze didn't waste time in tracking her turning around the corner, down the end of the street. His legs grew wings, and he rushed to the corner as fast as he could manage , his strong yearning making his soul flitter inside his chest.

But she was no where to be found. He turned his head desperately to all directions , but her traces had disappeared and her aroma had fainted. And the only thing he could feel as he stood alone in that cross-roads, was the whirling dust, as far as the eye could see.

**oooooooooooooo**

Lana exhaled deeply after reluctantly closing the book that laid on her lap. She remained immobile for a moment, staring at its old , moldy cover. If it wasn't already late and she hadn't to wake up in the morning, in order to help in the farm, she certainly wouldn't have any second thought in continuing the reading. If someone had confessed to her , no more than a month ago, that she would end up seeking company among the pages of an old book her ex husband had once upon a time given her, she would have punched that someone for their rudeness and stupidity. The thought of her keeping any gift from Lex would have seemed more alien to her than Clark was for Earth.

Yet , there she was now, perched onto the old couch of the barn and rapt into the magic of an even older story, unwilling to listen to Clark's worried voice as it came from the back of her mind, telling her to go to sleep. If anything, it was Clark's voice and "parental" advice that she had aimed to avoid, when she had originally unbury this forgotten book from her stuff , deciding to surrender to the forbidden temptation of reading something Lex had, long ago, suggested.

Her gaze drifted to the barn's opening for a moment. No light was coming from the Kent house and besides, if Clark had returned , first thing he would have done , would have been to frantically search for her. Apparently in case her "fragile" self had got lost between the house and the...barn. Sometimes, the irony was the only way to escape insanity.

No , Clark wouldn't return yet. He was obviously somewhere, fighting someone , while looking for something. There was no need for her to return to the Kent house. She could sleep in the barn tonight, enjoying the chill of the night, wrapped in the warm, single blanket, gazing at the starry sky...And who knows, maybe stealing a few peeks in the book, if Morpheus decided that it was too late for him to pay her a visit.

* * *

to **doodie8806**: there is much Clois in the fic, in more than one of its stories, but in general the fic can't be described as a Clois one , since it has other ships too, but i d say that Clois is the second most important ship in the fic (and also the favorite ship of its author winks). The Clois begins with the nect chapter, however, you will have to have a little patience, since the fic is long, many things happen, and Clois needs a bit time in developping. Thanks though for reading!

And a general A/N, with this second chapter, all 5 different (but yet connected) tales of the fic have been introduced. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Two hours had passed since the Duke's departure, and the turbulent crowd of Kryptonians that was gathered around the Palace, kept increasing in numbers, creating the most vociferous hubbub of voices in years. People from every age repining against the few soldiers guarding the big entrance, black-clothed mothers tightly holding their dead sons' shields, crippled old men brandishing their canes... Kal's restless gaze , kept hovering with worry above the, risen in protest, rabble from his position on the grand veranda.

"Come inside, my son. Our faithful guards can keep yon people under control. By the e'em, all yon agitations should be calmed down."

"You are not familiar with riots, mother. N'er ere a visitor's arrival led our kingdom into such ferment. Gods may prove me wrong, I fear though Krypton shall not accept this new age with open arms."

Martha stepped closer to him, reassuringly putting her hand on his broad shoulders. "It shall pass. Have faith , my son. A man fearth what he cannot comprehend, and Shadowland's presence inside the great walls of the Fortress is not yet acceptable by these tortured souls. We shall give them time."

"As you will..." Kal scanned one last time the wide yard, his eye-brows forming a surprised frown as a particular scene seemed to catch his interest. "Yonder! By the entrance of the west turret. Who is that young peasant dressed in so unsuitable for a woman clothes , who dareth to regard neither God nor man?" he pointed out towards a young female, that seemed determine to enter the palace by all costs, having already disarmed two of the guards.

The Queen smiled at her son's surprise. Undoubtedly , Kal had been away, engaged in fierce combats, for too long.

"Thou art looking at young wench Lane, my son. Shall not worry about her, she hath always been a restive spirit, but harmless nonetheless."

"Lane? As in Samuel Lane's daughter? The General from Shadowland that was sent to exile after mightily opposing to King Lionel's fiendish plans?"

Martha nodded affirmatively. "Thy father had been free-hearted enow to offer him asylum in the lowlands, wherefore they have been living to the present day as peasants."

"I shall go down there and put an end to this grotesque situation. A peasant, yet alone , a female peasant hast no right to treat Kryptonian soldiers with such obscenity."

"Kal..." , Martha sighed before her son's impulsion.

"Nay, mother, with all the respect... Your royal eyes can see the gravelled man that standth this very moment before her. His name is Sir Arthur Curry, not a noble from birth, but a brave warrior who gained Lord Queen's favour after his gallant deeds throughout the Queen Empire. He came along with me to Krypton as my personal guest, and though I have no idea how he ended up in the middle of this confusion, I hold the obligation to protect my guests against the rudeness and naivety of an incensed peasant." he unrelentingly stated before hurriedly leaving the veranda.

**XXX**

"Thou shall not pass!"

A young woman clad in male tunics and military boots, without the appropriate wimple covering her head, rolled for the umpteenth time her eyes at the knight before her. Standing fearlessly in front of him, with two guards already fallen dizzy on the ground by her sides, she clenched her fists, ready to use them again if she had to.

"For the last time, i am asking you to step aside! You do not understand, it is an immediate need for me to see the Queen. Today Krypton made a huge mistake , we should have never granted access to the enemy!"

"I am telling thee, thou hast no right to pass. Turn around and leave, otherwise I shall have to make thee leave myself!"

Folding her arms on her chest, the girl tilted her head up and looked at him with the most derisive grin.

"Oh i am dying to see that. You do not belong to the royal guard, milord. Fie, you are not even a Kryptonian! Who giveth you the authority to order me?"

"I do."

A firm, deep voice intruded the dispute.

"Your Highness!" The two guards, who had meanwhile regained their composure, exclaimed at the sight of Kal, imposingly standing a few steps away, the sapphire of his eyes gazing at them with severity.

"Prince Kal..." Arthur began only to be interrupted by a sharp shake of Kal's head.

"No worries, Sir Arthur, I know thou did thy best. If thou pleasest , allow me to deal with this ignorant wench."

Kal's words automatically ignited the woman's anger.

"Hey, prince or not , you cannot speak as if I am not present!"

The guards were left dumbfounded before the maiden's scandalous discourtesy in front of the Prince himself, exchanging unsure glances between them. Kal , on the other hand, remaining unperturbed by the scene, met her stubborn face with a placid smile.

"The time has come for thee to end thy prating and leave. Thou caused enow problems by now."

"Well, your ..highness, I shall not leave until I meet the Queen in face. As for the problems you speak, everything would have been avoided if my request to enter the palace, had received proper attention."

"There is absolutely no reason for thee to enter the palace. There is absolutely no reason for any of these protests around the palace, over the sole visit of an emissary... a visit which might actually benefit Krypton if i may add...and, certes, there is no reason for her Royal Majesty , the Queen of Krypton to permit an audition to a random paesant like thy self! Mark my words, thou art NOT getting in."

They both stood silent for a second, the tension in the air reaching its peak while the rage between them radiated back and forth in waves. It was her that cruelly broke the electric silence.

"Then I suggest you watch me..."

"If thou takest another step, thou shall leave me no choice..." He warned , lowering his voice.

"The whole future of Krypton is being imperiled if we trust the Duke's deceitful promises, and you, my lord, choose to threaten me instead? Know then that this ...random peasant was born in Shadowland and your threats shine like music to my ears." she crossly hollered back at him before pausing for a bit, coloring her voice with disdain. "For me... you are nothing more than a man with a sword."

Kal cast a final glance at her, a mix of ire and dudgeon, for a part of himself could not delve how a beautiful girl like her - because he would have to be a liar or a madman to deny his appreciation of her gifted frame , the first moment he had laid his eyes travel upon her - could be escorted by such an unbelievably rude mouth.

"Arrest her"

To the sound of his plain order, the two guards made a movement towards the girl, each one from either side. Unfortunately for them, she was not an easy target to be captured. Rolling her eyes and muttering something like 'you shall never learn', she quickly stepped with all her might on the one soldier's foot, using the few seconds this action earned her , to turn her attention to the other one. Effectively ducking to avoid a punch, she mercilessly kicked the other guard on his genitals, before spinning him around and pushing him towards the first guard who was meanwhile coming balefully to her direction, using his weight to shove them both down. Losing their balance, they both fell once more on the ground, with her standing loomingly above them, playfully brandishing the sword of one of them over their heads.

Suddenly , she felt a sharp pain on her wrist, as a strong hand forcefully clenched it like a vice, compelling it to drop the steely weapon. She sensed Kal's hard chest flat on her back, as he towered her from behind and she swiftly turned around , raising her free fist, in an attempt to take him by assault with a punch. He read her intentions within flashes though and proved his reflexes quicker than hers, as he instantly caught her other arm , and simultaneously bent both of her elbows behind her back. He didn't stop there though, as he shoved her on a wall, locking her there with his body, making her unable to move.

They fiercely stared in each other's eyes, both irate and both still unwilling to let go, as they stood there, pressed one one another, his faces inches apart. Their lungs shared the same air, as their chests heaved together , all the time taking short inhales in case they would breathe into each other and taint themselves.

"There.." he sternly whispered to her "...endgame". He waited to see if she would surrender, if the pressure would break her down or if she would continue to fruitlessly strive to set herself free from his firm grip, but the reaction he was rewarded with, startle him. She seemed to slightly relax in his arms while lifting a suggestive eye-brow at him. It didn't take long for him to figure out what was going on, as her next movement, made his green eyes widen in absolute surprise, and his blood to rush uncontrollably through every single vein of his. Suddenly , she had slowly lifted her leg up, the only movement their locking position permitted her to still do, allowing her thigh to come in perfect contact with his clothed crotch. His pupils automatically dilated and , encouraged by the terrified expression grotesquely adorning his handsome face, she began a light, circular motion of her thigh on his growing bulge.

He gasped. His cheeks flared up as his gaze fell sheepishly on her inviting lips, curled into a sly smile. She kept massaging his pride, adding a hint of more pressure with every second and he felt the blaze in his lower belly threatening to overwhelm him. Mastering all his defenses left, he found the strength to snap out from his forbidden moment, and, as if he was just stung by a scorpion, he detached himself from her body, staggering his steps backwards.

Breathing heavily by her own ministrations, she locked her eyes with his own, her left hand soothingly rubbing her hurt wrist.

"I told you..." she huskily spoke.." you are nothing more than a man...with a 'sword' ".

Straightening her back, completely changing her expression as if their previous wobbly and tensed moment had never happened, she stared at him decisively and cleared her throat. "I shall not give up my tries until the Queen agrees to see me. In this case, i suppose you will have to kill me. And, well, good luck with that, you shall need it."

Gritting his teeth , his hardened gaze piercing through her , he unexpectedly turned the tables and growled: "Very well..." and with that , he abruptly grasped her arm , dragging her with him inside the Palace.

**XXX**

"Slow down..."

No answer.

"Slow down, no need to advance like a maniac, I am not your trooper."

Not a single sound in return.

"Slow down, you are hurting me!"

"I thought thou were born in Shadowland, pain must be thy specialty." he coldly retorted.

Turning short at the corner of the long , main corridor that ultimately led to the throne hall, they almost stumbled on Chloe, who was carelessly perambulating around the luxurious chambers. A mild exclamation of surprise escaped her lips, at the sight of her dear friend brutally yanking a young woman behind him, who, however, on her part, looked as if she was actually entertaining this surliness, with her cynic remarks and mockery tone.

"Well met, milord. Forgive my reasoned inquisitiveness but why the sudden rush?"

"Yes, hark now the blond sugar ... what's your problem, huh?"

Kal's eyes hurled burning flames towards the wench. Squeezing her arm , he released a suppressed grunt.

"Thou shall not speak that way about her! Such language might be common in the holes thou sleepest, but it shall never be suitable for a lady of the court!"

Chloe hid her annoyance behind a contemptuous smile.

"I suggest you hurry then , milord, because wildcats' rightful place is only behind bars and inside cages."

"And I suggest you stay put from now on, because this wildcat hath claws and she might need to practice her scratching!" Lois's words echoed in the corridor, as Kal pulled her further away, leaving Chloe standing there aghast.

Reaching to the end of the corridor and right in front of the wide double door, Kal withheld her advance and took a look around the entrances of the smaller chambers.

"Pete!" he roared.."Peeete!"

A young servant gushed out from a door on their left, tripping his way there. Without sparing the slightest glance to the girl, he fixed his attire and glared at the Prince.

"Peter...in the public halls, you call me Peter..." he mouthed at him visibly annoyed, not seeming to care how impossibly inappropriate such a behavior would look to their surroundings.

"Alackaday, Peter! I do not have the time now for this. Thou complainst , me thinks, for always preventing thee from following the protocol. Well, this is thy lucky day, then. Go on, announce us to my mother."

"As you will". Peter muttered, before addressing the wench with a tone of disdain.."And thou art...?"

"Thy worst nightmare, if thou lookest me again like this. "

"Lane. The name is Lane" Kal barked

"Lois Lane" she grimaced while correcting him.

Straightening his back, adopting the struttiest walk he could manage, Peter opened the double door.

"His Royal Highness, Prince..."

"It shall be enow Peter. My son's ferocious calls rendered his announcement worthless." Martha sharply interrupted him. She was comfortably sitting on her throne , all the Kryptonian grandeur thrust upon her, surrounded by a few faithful consultants. And apparently... she was irritated.

"Mother..."

"Would thou likest explain thy self to me, Kal?"

"I crave your pardon, mother. I should have restrained my self. However, if you please, hither stands the young mistress Lane and after her insistent requests to have an audition with you , i reckoned advisable to allow her this chance, although I hadn't asked for your royal permission first. Perchance, this could be a first step towards the avoidance of further disorder inside the Fortress of Solitude."

Kal raised his right hand pointing out a Lois, who was knelt all this time before the Queen , "suffering" patiently for her time to voice her objections. He was sure that, although at the moment Lois appeared speechless, she would lose all control once she would open her pretty , little mouth, and he couldn't hide his enjoyment of that.

Martha's features softened when she changed her gaze to Lois.

"Thou may stand up and speak."

"I do humbly thank you, Your Majesty, and I cry your mercy to accept my sincerest apologies for the way i all of a sudden burst in a place i do not rightfully belong." She cast a glance sideways, capturing Kal's confused expression and dropped jaw and she continued with more confidence and smiles. "However it could not help my self , but insist in meeting you in face, after the dramatic turn in Krypton's relations with their long-term enemy, Shadowland."

"There is no official change in regards to the two kingdoms' relations yet. This is why a handful of people complain and cause problems today. Because they cannot understand that the only confirmed progress in our relations as of now, is the suspension of the war. And I do consider this a positive progress, don't thou Lois?"

"Most definitely i do, Your Majesty! But we are not just a handful of people and it is not any other attempt to stop the ongoing wars that finds us full of objections and ready to oppose. It is the very involvement of the royal family of the Luthors that most possibly conceals reasons for distrust."

"Lois...thou and everyone else have to understand that the past does not always provide us with safe assumptions for the present. Krypton and Shadowland have been indefatigably battling each other for as long as I can remember myself. The wars have exhaust both empires, they have cost us money and lives that reach unspeakable numbers. Being prejudiced against them, shall not help Krypton in changing pages in its history, I am not sure if thou understand."

"Your Grace...i would welcome every possible chance for peace , as long as it was honest. But King Lionel Luthor is no man of trust. I am convinced that at this very moment, while Kryptonians try to expand their plans and ideas for a peaceful coexistence, somewhere in Shadowland soldiers are sharpening their swords , getting ready for the ultimate bombshell."

"I cannot and I shall not pay attention to unfounded suspicions like there, Lois." Martha answered , starting already to lose her patience with this girl's unjustified persistence.

"Unfounded? Nay at all, Your Majesty...My father had been a three stars General in Shadowland for years. He hath seen lord Lionel performing the exact trick to his other enemies before. He is absolutely positive there is much more than meets the eye behind this new round of negotiations for peace." Lois answered with passion, firmly believing in the words of her father.

"Try to understand my dear" Martha attempted another approach " that i have neither the power, nor the reason to dynamite a whole reconciliation and any possible chance of my people to a life with euphoria, over the doubtful worries of one single man..."

"But my father..."

"Thy father is only motived by his inner fantasies! I didn't really wish to discuss this with thee, but truth is thy father hath not been in absolute lucidity of mind, ever since my husband offered him asylum in our land. I would suggest thee , instead of wasting thy time in riots around the palace, to spend thy days helping thy father regain his old self. As for the official tactics of Krypton, this shall not change. We will proceed with the discussion of a new peace treaty."

Lois' bottom lip was violently quivering under the pressure of overflowing rage on her nerves. However she managed to remain silent, patiently withstanding Martha's verbal blows, as the older woman voiced her last words:

"And now, this audition is over with no further objections. Kal shall make sure thou art escorted out."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The midday sun had embraced its meridian, fully dominating the expanded, vernal day, when Lana finally reached the fringes of the forest of Mysts. She had left the palace , galloping away on SpitFire, sheering off the echoes of numerous fretful Kryptonians. But she had never stopped at the Kent Gardens. Deserting the Fortress of Solitude, she had continued all the way through the lowlands, trusting her, quick as a flash, horse , that no mortal eye would manage to catch a glimpse of them. Passing the Solar Hills, she had finally entered the very confines of Krypton; beyond them, anyone and anything could happen.

Beginning from the slopes of the hills, the ancient forest unrolled itself as far as the eye could reach, gradually covered by a mysterious mist the deeper someone penetrated it, distancing himself from the heights. She had no plan though to make her way to its heart, as it was exactly its fringes where she had always loved to spend her time daydreaming. The altitude of the Solar Hills, enhanced the beauty and freshness of that part of the forest and you could hearken from any point you would stand, the torrential and crystalline waters of the river Lunar, as it cascaded the slopes, before abandoning the forest to traverse the Lunar Valley.

Getting past the first trees, she tied SpitFire to one of them, and slowly made her way around, all the time gazing up to the sparkling sunlight, as it was sneaking its way through the thick leafages of the tallest trees. Despite the beauty of the colors and sounds, the wild vegetation and the distant but continuous growl of the river, the ironic truth about this forest was that it had long now been dead. No soul would willingly gad on its almost hostile terrain, no animal would be seen dashing from its bushes. Ancient legends were partnering it, rustling about an era when it was thrice its current size, ruled by an eerie world that had haunted it to the present day. However, no one had ever encountered a single spirit, something that hadn't really prevented anyone from still avoiding it. And the only dreadful truth about this forest was that, if you stood for a minute and listened to the wind, you would clear out the agonized plaints of those that had lost their way inside it. And this, mainly because the forest with its legends and its lurid sight, would have unnoticeably forced you to succumb yourself to its fear.

Circling a big, centenarian tree, Lana closed her eyes and inhaled the blossoming nature's euphoria, on a first glance looking as if the sweet maiden ignored that she was being watched all along by her predator.

"Since when Kryptonian princesses are allowed to walk unescorted on such unwelcome grounds?" a low voice came from behind her.

But whatever shines, is not called gold and this maiden was neither sweet nor a prey.

"Ever since Dukes from Shadowland pretended they lost their way."

Turning around, her exotic eyes locked with his blues, as she saw him casually leaning his impressive, dark clothed frame on an old trunk.

"Thou art late." he humorlessly commented.

"I left the palace with SpitFire almost immediately after thee. That can hardly count as late." she retorted, quirking a cocky eyebrow at him.

"Who delayed you?" he inquired as if she hadn't answered him already. "Was it _him_?" His face darkened at the flash of his antagonist's face before his cruel eyes.

Lana mentally shook her head at his everlasting insecurity, but decided that provoking the great Duke , making his cold blood boil like no rival would ever achieve, could always be an endless pleasure for her spirits.

"Well..." she let herself visibly sigh before greeting his face with a sly smile "..isn't always _him_?"

He was no fool though. His restless gaze searched her expression and didn't delay in unmasking her sneaky bluff. Two could play this game. Circling her with slow , accurate steps, his eyes were devouring her existence just like a hyena before the ineluctable attack.

"Do not think for a minute, my lady, that i did not notice him dearly holding thy hand...an act of affection thou never avoided to return..." he chaffingly grinned.

She was caught in his trap in an instant.

"What now, my lord? I shall not even allow him the simplest touch?"

"A touch turnth to a kiss in a single flare of the moment ...thou hast kissed him, am I right?"

"Yes ..I have, but.."

"A kiss turnth to a heated night in his private chambers and thou shall still wonder 'My Gods, how could we..' with the first sunlight of the morning sun" he continued his slow circling , casting devious stares to her direction.

Lana's eyes widened at his implications. "Thou know well, my lord, i shall never be the object of desires in different beds. I am not a harlot!"

Alexander came to a halt in front of her, his face adopting a nonchalant shade. "Why not, milady? Thou hast the genes." he dared.

Lana stared at him, her delicious mouth hanging semi-agape.

"Come now, mistress Lana, everyone in Krypton and beyond knowth thy aunt was a whore in King Johnathon's bed ... mayhap thee and young prince charming are related in more ways than one after all ..."

Before completing his rudeness, he felt the sharp burnt of a furious slap, as her small palm left its rosy mark on his right cheek. Her chest was heaving with rage and she was mentally urging herself to do it again, slap him once more because , Gods knew, he deserved it, but she never found a second to think anything else. Her eyes caught the perfervid gleam in his eye, before he abruptly circled her waist with his arm and yanked her flat to his hard chest, ravaging her lips with his in a fervent kiss.

She was startled, but she didn't delay in melting into his arms and into the moment...their moment, as her tongue frantically searched for his, in an attempt to taste and be tasted , to fight him and be fought back , to conquer him and become his conquest. They licked and nibbled and bit each other's lips again and again , surrendering into the trance their heated bodies were creating, as their tongues explored every sweet curve of their mouths. Their kisses gradually turned more open mouthed, letting their tongues still battle even when their lips weren't touching and they only stopped for the much needed oxygen, as soon as their pressed bodies, envying the dance of their mouths, started moving together in their own proverbial way.

He rested his forehead on hers, allowing himself to inhale deeply her intoxicant aroma. She let the tip of her tongue lightly caress his tasteful lips, feeling warmth overwhelming her the moment he chuckled.

"Thou know well I cannot stand it when he is close to thee..." his gloved hand traced the line of her jaw..." ...when he touches thee..." his husky voice not more than a sensual whisper.

"Well.." she kept lightly licking his lips between her words..."..thou better get used to it, my lord...for I do not plan in changing it."

He couldn't help but mischievously grin at her.

"If it is for every time i complain about him, for thee to unleash thine inner wildcat...then I shall make sure i never get used to it."

They leaned in for another kiss, slower this time, enjoying the way their luscious lips fit perfectly together. Pulling apart, he took her velvet hand and , gifting her with the most loving and honest smile, a side of him only she had the privilege to witness and treasure, he slowly guided her deeper into the woods.

Though the shortest possible way to Shadowland was through the forest of the Mysts, hardly anyone was following its dark pathlines, everyone preferring to move South and spend weeks in traveling through the Lunar Valley, before reaching either of the empires. Everyone but few, the Duke of Metropolis being one of them, as he knew those woods like the back of his palm.

Guiding her through the imposing trees, they reached the place they had first met, which ever since had been their favorite meeting point, away from the intrusive stares of their fellow men. Besides, they would never understand. The sound of the vehement river was clearer now, as the vegetation started to thin down, revealing a narrow but steady suspension bridge. The wooden bridge hovered many meters above the river Lunar, making the height frightful, but also offering a unique, panoramic view of the verdant forest.

Grabbing with both of his hands the thick ropes that served as guardrails, Alexander let his blues travel above the blooming nature, getting himself lost in the vast horizon. He blissfully closed his eyes when he felt two small arms wrapping themselves around his torso, as Lana relaxed on his back, resting her cheek against him. They remained there , still and connected for what seemed like ages , engulfed by the magic of their passion , with the sound of the wild river beneath them being the only thing to fill the air.

"A penny for your thoughts, my lord." her sweet voice came from behind him.

In retort, he carefully unclasped her hands and guided one of them on the center of his chest, right above his leather covered heart, placing it firmly there, below his own, as he kept their fingers entwined.

"Thou hearest this, Lana?...This is the way happiness soundth."

He felt her burying herself further against his back and he could tell she was smiling. Giving a light squeeze on her hand, he turned around and stared sincerely into her almond eyes.

"This day , Lana...the first step away from our dreadful past was taken...The day that Krypton opened its gates to me...after abandoning Shadowland into the darkness for so long...they finally opened their gates...this is more than a reward for me...Everything can change, everything. I know.." he paused momentarily averting his eyes.." I know most of thy people do not trust me or my words...but only time will tell for I have been fighting for this day for so long...so long.."

She placed a reassuring hand on his cheek and warmly smiled at him.

"Thou hast no idea , Lana...The wars consumed thy country nonetheless, exhausting it...causing numerous victims within the Kryptonian army...but back to Krypton , ye all had no idea Lana..no idea...inside the gates , Krypton was still flourishing and shining...with its marble fountains...its delicate mechanisms...its roads paved with glistening slabs... Krypton was locked away from the havoc of the wars...but back in Shadowland everything was..."

He shook his head and sighed heavily.

"Kryptonians do not fear of thee, Alexander...it is thy father they do not trust...When i left the palace to find thee, they had already began their riots...But see...I believe it is in thy power to make them trust thee, make them see the truth in thine intentions. They just need time for it is so difficult for their mind to accept that the enemy enterth now their gates as a friend."

"But we did not change overnight, Lana...This is what Krypton hath to understand. Your people seemed to believe that i suddenly changed, deciding that the time had come for Shadowland to become allies with Krypton, but this is far from the truth. We did not freely choose to stop the war. It became our vital need to do it. I cannot return to Shadowland anymore only to face the anguish in the eyes of my people. Shadowland is such a wealthy kingdom...with vast expanses of mines, so ambudant in minerals...and yet, all thou can see in Metropolis is death, poverty and grief...the war hath alienated us...This is why I am fighting for the reconciliation. Only this and no sudden need to befriend the old rival."

"We shall go through this together." Lana's eyes sparkled as she voiced her thoughts with confidence."We have thy scars to remind us the horror of the war..." her hands roamed blindly over his leathern vest, invisibly tracing the grim scars she knew so well that existed underneath..." We do not need more bodies for that... I only wished i could see thee more oft."

He placed a light kiss on the top of her head, and looked down at her again, smugness having returned on his face.

"I never said I am going anywhere, my lady, did I?"

Lana tilted up her head and frowned, looking at him puzzled. He chuckled amused.

"I happen to have a few affairs to take care of around the outskirts. I shall stll be here on the morrow, camping inside the forest." His eyes twinkled as a devious idea danced in their depths. Biting her bottom lip, she returned the sly expression.

"On the morrow, Krypton is celebrating the peak of spring, with the vernal feast..."

"And thou hast to attend?" he tried to hide it, but she didn't miss the hint of disappointment coloring his voice.

"Nay , my lord...i can meet thee before the beginning of the fete...the whole kingdom will be under preparations, hardly anyone shall notice that the princess is missing...Usually, the female nobles attend the events at the early hours and then retire to their private chambers...I can be back in time for the retirement.." she concluded triumphantly and found herself getting drowned in the nectar of his kisses.

"But now.." she pulled apart after a while, striving to get a grip on her breath.."... now i have to leave."

"No, not yet" he mumbled instantly attacking her mouth again.

"I have to!" she playfully squealed away from him before he caught her again, locking his gaze with hers...

"I shall be counting the minutes..." he whispered to her huskily. Lana stepped on her toes, allowing her tongue to trace the outline of his lower lip, before taking it between her pearly teeth, biting it and lightly pulling it with her, as she stepped back...

He licked his lip where she had just bitten it and she smiled broadly at him, before rushing to SpitFire.

**ooooooooooooooooooooo**

When he semi-opened his eyes, the world was a blur. From somewhere around him, a burning torch was pouring its light , making the colors deliriously dance before his hazy sight. His mind was crammed into a whirl of unshaped thoughts, while his body was trying to exit its languor.

"Wake up."

_"...up to the Silver lake.."_

"Time to wake up!"

Voices full of worry and trailing whispers were invading his half-asleep conscience , as his vision started clearing more and more.

_"..the boy...can see ussss..."_

_"..le fleur...le fleur.."_

"Alex, wake up!"

At the call of his name , he fully widened his eyes, frantically glancing around, breathless and disorientated. He was lying on a bed, his bed, soaked to his sweat with a young blond woman lightly shaking him by his shoulders.

"Finally..." Chloe murmured. " You are awake now, but lay back, you still need rest."

Not paying attention, he sat up , his eyes nervously searching past her. " Who else is with you?"

Chloe stared at him perplexed.

"What do you mean? No one is here, it's just you and me in the log hut. Alex , please lay back, or the fever will get worse."

He disregarded her plea and, tossing the wool blanket out of his way, he managed to stand up. Still dizzy, he started suspiciously looking at every corner of the small room.

"There's someone else inside the hut too."

"Alex, come back to your senses! No one is here. Master Lionel found you unconscious in the middle of the woods and they carried you back to the clan. You had been burning with fever, lost in your disconnected ramblings , for two days!"

"Two days? How...". At that point, a fainted childish giggle echoed in the room, making him turn abruptly around to catch out its source. Only he was welcomed but nothing more than the shadowed, empty corners of the log hut.

"Alex.."

"You are telling me you cannot hear this?"

"Hear what, Alex?! Stop acting like an insane man, you are scaring me."

The wooden door of the hut creaked, as a cloaked man with a grim face entered. He stared at the two of them standing in the middle of the room , and his eyes hardened.

"Master Lionel, his fever has subsided now." Chloe hesitantly mumbled. Ignoring her completely, the old Myst, stepped closer to the younger man and, with anger radiating from his cruel orbs, raised up his glove and slapped him hard.

"You had no place there!"

Chloe yelped at the vicious attack, but Alex kept his gaze stubbornly locked on the ground.

"I had told you to leave and you disobeyed me. Instead you preferred to commit sacrilege, demanding to witness what you have not been blessed to! You ungrateful, hell-hated miscreant!"

In the blink of an eye, Alex was all over him. Assaulting him fiercely, he shoved him on the walls of the hut. His hands were maniacally clenching his throat, allowing his fingers to roughly plough into his carotid.

"What have you done to me? It was you and the rest charlatans who pretend to be great sorcerers. What game are you playing? What was the light?!"

Lionel's eyes engorged, his voice barely above a whisper, as the deadly chokehold of his son was making it impossible for him to speak.

"I...I h-have..no..no id..idea..wha-what.."

"Liar!" Alex barked. "Don't you lie to me, you were there!"

"Alex, please stop, you are killing him!" Chloe's mortified cries came from behind him. Letting a grunt of anger, Alex released his father from his firm grip and stormed out of the hut.

Coming in face with the unknowing world outside, he stalled his momentum and slowed down his pace. He threw brief glances to his surroundings as the rest villagers were continuing their daily routines. Usually he wouldn't stray away for long, before someone mockingly address to him , and that day was no exception.

"Hey Alex!...My niece caught a faerie in her small, oaken cage. Want to have a look?...oh wait, I forgot, you cannot see magic!"

"Stop teasing him, Lucas. It must be already enough shame for him to know he is the Accursed!"

Alex glared from the corner of his eye at the small company of no more than six people, carelessly sitting under a tall pine. Their combined laughing resembled to a diffused cacophony under the postmeridian sky. The young man with the name 'Lucas', seemed the most amused of them all, holding a little blond girl on his lap who was toying with a small cage. He had been used to their insults by now, in fact , in a different day he would answer back as much, but after the incident inside the hut, he was in no mood for further conflicts. Alex turned his head away from them, immediately pushing the creepy thought aside that, for a brief second, he had actually caught a glimpse of a weak flutter from inside the small cage. He silently continued his way , when he felt a strange, cold breeze, caressing the back of his neck. He stopped dead in his trucks , and slowly turned around, ready to push off any new , would-be offender, only to find no one standing behind him. Unintentionally, his eyes traveled further beyond and soon he felt all his blood being drained from his system.

An extremely slim figure, at least seven feet tall, was ominously standing above the small company, who seemed totally unaware of its presence and continued their vivid jabbering. The figure was dressed in a white, long , flimsy cloak, which effectively covered almost every inch of its body. Its head was tilted, hovering above the villagers, but Alex could not see its face as its dark hair was covering it. Plus every time he would try to look at it, an insufferable burn would sting his eyes.

Alex let a harrowing scream escape his lips causing every pair of eyes around, stare at him in confusion. He stumbled backwards and fell on the ground, but still tried desperately to crawl away, all the time staring at the immobile figure and howling.

"What is happening to him, Lucas? Why he acts like a paranoid?" a woman asked.

"I don't know. Hey! Alex! Stop screaming, I say! You are scaring my niece."

"Look uncle...the little faerie wants to get out..."

The little girl lifted up the cage she was holding. The weak flutter of the small creature inside it, had now turned to a frantic waggling.

"What the hell..."

Suddenly the figure moved. Without turning its head at all, which continued to hover rigid above Lucas and his companions, it slowly raised an osseous arm and pointed to the totally opposite direction from the one itself was supposed to look at. Alex's frightened eyes followed it all the way , ending up to an old hut at the edges of the small village. Meanwhile, more people had rushed to them , alerted by his initial cries, Chloe being one of them. She quickly knelt beside him and took his face in her hands, forcing him to turn around and look at her.

"Alex! What is it? What happened?"

"There! There, it is there! Can't you see that?"

"Where?" Chloe glanced around her puzzled.

"There, near the..." he suddenly paused and blinked a few times. The figure had vanished as unexpectedly as it had originally appeared, leaving no mark in the wind. Chloe took in his messy appearance as drops of sweat dribbled down his neck, and helped him stand up.

"It was there..." he murmured still dumbfounded..."that thing...impossibly tall...in white...pointing out that cabin...".

Out of the blue, a loud shriek, coming from the old cabin the figure had indicated, pierced through the air. Everyone turned around worried, as a disheveled man came running to them.

"It's old Mordecai...his daughter just found him dead." Few men sped to the log hut, but Chloe grabbed Alex by his arm and dragged him to an off-the-beaten-track spot. She looked at him with wide eyes, her pale face only being compared to a dead.

"Alex... you...you want to tell me you... actually saw the angel of death?"

He took a couple of steps back, unable to accept what she was suggesting to him. This couldn't be true, he wasn't even supposed to be able to see what the rest could, not to mention what every other human had rarely set eyes upon. "I...I have to go..." he mumbled and turned away from her, heading deeper into the woods, all the time trying to convince himself that , no, he couldn't see the eerie, luminous orbs that were dancing around him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

He caught himself blankly staring at the empty, porcelain cup of tea in front of him. If it had been two minutes or two hours that he had been stone-still in this position, he couldn't honestly tell.Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, he slowly took in his surroundings, showing a gradual interest at them, with every second that was passing. The main hall of the small, local hotel was filled with sunlight and different aromas. Women of various ages, dressed in their afternoon clothes, with low waists and high necklines, were vivaciously chatting while enjoying their tea time. Fine gentlemen, mostly officers and traders, were joining them in their discussions, over the marble top, parlour tables, completing the image of a quiet , lovely afternoon, that had nothing different to add to every other afternoon prior to it.

Turning his focus back on his table, at his own little corner of the hall, he noticed three silver coins , sparkling at the sunlight next to a fine, small teaspoon. Whoever was his guardian angel, had once again unnoticeably made sure, that money would never be his problem throughout the day. He couldn't help but admit though, that he must have been quite a disappointment for his own benefactor, as he seemed unable to pull himself out of the writing swamp he had been sunk. The blank papers spread on the table, filled by nothing else but a few blots and smudges, were there to remind him that he still hadn't come up with the next suitable line for his poem. It was a pain in his heart, because somewhere in his troubled mind, he could spy on his lonely soul suffocating under the weight of the turbulent emotions, that he just couldn't find a way to express on paper. He would mentally repeat again and again his first and last line..._With torches and screams, they'll come_...but he still would be led to nowhere.

"Would you like more tea, sir?"

He glanced up at the charming, young waitress.

"Yes, I would. Thank you."

_Did he even like tea?_

The girl smiled at him as she filled his cup. A thought crossed his mind , that he would like to have some company at that moment, someone to talk to and relieve himself from the responsibilities the poem had generated in him, someone like that girl in the tavern the other day. But the young waitress turned her back at him as soon as she filled his cup, and his ideas for any type of light-hearted conversation , fell apart like a house of cards.

"Bonjour monsieur le Poèt. Quel jour magnifique c'est aujourd'hui, n'est-ce pas?"

(_Good afternoon mr Poet. What a magnificent day, today, isn't it so?_)

"Bonjour monsieur. Sans doute, un jour formidable."

(_Good afternoon sir. Without a doubt, a wonderful day._)

He witnessed himself answering in fluent French, the moment that a middle-aged trader, with a neat mustache, recognized him. He watched as the man politely saluted him by lifting his tall hat and then walked away , all the time looking at his fob watch. For some reason he couldn't exactly comprehend, this particular action, seemed to drag his whole attention. His gaze centered on the small watch that shined in the hands of the French trader, isolating it from any other intrusive image or sound in the room. And then, his eyes widened at the sight of a sudden thought flashing before them. His hand reached the lining of his waistcoat, pulling out a gold pocket watch, safely hidden in a hunter case, that he had never noticed before. He carefully inspected it with a newfound curiosity, as neither name initials nor symbols decorated its plain surface. He tasted an even bigger surprise as soon as he opened the hunter case. Although the watch was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelery he had laid eyes upon, with the tiny, sparkling rocks in the places of the hours exceptionally standing out, it had one mysterious, big flaw; the arrows were moving backwards.

That detail startled him. He could not fathom with what possible reasons its maker had been inundated during its creation...or what unexpected mechanical fault could have turned it to such a paradox...or maybe, what mystifying forces of nature had intervened out of nowhere, changing the laws of science regarding this small watch. He submerged himself into a farrago of scattered thoughts, when the same, exhilarating odor, came slowly to bewitch him.

Lifting up his gaze, he distinguished her delicate frame, clad ,like the previous time, into the darkest melancholy , soundlessly taking a seat at a round table, that seemed more isolated than the rest. Her long, raven hair was pulled up at sides and a strange locket was hanging from her neck, reaching the middle of her bodice. But what made his heart skip a beat, was that for the first time, he could clearly see her stunning face. The Baroness , as Lois had called her, was a woman of exceptionally fierce beauty, with two exotic, almond eyes shining like two moonlit pools , and succulent , dark crimson lips that could send every man to Hell and back. She was drawing him like a magnet, although she hadn't even spared him a single glance.

The young waitress approached the Baroness and filled up her cup, but she looked as if she was in a hurry to distance herself from that table as sooner as she could. At the same moment, not very flattering whispers reached his ears from a nearby table.

_"She must have quite some nerve to appear here, in the middle of our tea-time. After what she did to my only son."_

_"She is a fair-faced, Genevieve. We know that your son will come back to you soon. Have faith, my dear."_

_"Faith...That is the only thing that can save us now from this Jezebel. Only God knows in what unhallowed deeds she is involved."_

_"I have heard that she walks around the old cemetery in the middle of the night wearing her bridal gown. Is it true?"_

_"It won't surprise me if it is, Chloe, my dear. You were once her friend, you are so lucky you got away from this hell-cat's claws..."_

_"Yes , that's true Chloe, you should thank the mighty God for that. Martha's son too, i cannot imagine what would have happened to that fine young man if he was still under her spell."_

_"Everyone was lucky. Except my son...that fiendish rat...one day , she shall rot in Hell."_

_"Aww Genevieve..."_

_"I am going to make sure she will."_

He didn't need to hear more. Those words were poisoning his soul, were reaching in the depths of his chest and were ripping out his poetic heart. He didn't know why he was feeling such sorrow , the only thing he knew is that it threatened to overflow his existence. Those women seemed to be familiar with the Baroness more than he would ever be, and their complaints on her, although unknown to him, seemed to be countless. His heart, the one that was filled with bliss at her sight just moments ago, was now flooded with unprecedented dolor, and all he knew was that he had to find a way to heal it.

As he was making these thoughts, her fragrance once again disappeared. He snapped out and searched for her around the hall, barely catching a glimpse of her as she was exiting the hotel. He knew he couldn't lose her for a second time, especially now that she might have held the cure for his heart. Leaving one of the coins on the table, he hurriedly collected his papers, and ran after her,

The Baroness was already crossing the street. He quickened his pace, determined to not lose her from his sight. If it was needed, he would always be just one step behind her, he would gratefully turn into her shadow. She seemed totally unaware she was being so closely followed, but that didn't daunt him one bit. It was then when a small gang of youn boys, no more than twelve years old, made their appearance from the shadowed corner of a narrow street. Holding rocks in their hands, they started throwing them at his precious treasure, all along calling her with one hurtful word...

"Witch!"

The menace in their voice and the atrociousness of their behavior , shocked him. Watching the defenceless woman speeding up to avoid them, his heart sank. Turning around completely, he caught one of them by his collar and looked at him straight in the eye:

"Stop! What is your problem? Why are you doing this?"

The boy cringed in fear under his irate gaze, and as soon as it let him go, he rushed behind his companions , who had already vanished into the narrow streets , the moment their friend had been caught.

It was with him though that Luck was gaming. It was him who would once again be the center of Fate's mockery. Because , as soon as he turned around, he noticed her dark cloak disappearing inside a carriage. Before he managed to run closer, the driver lashed the horses and the carriage disappeared into a cloud of dust.

**ooooooooooooooo**

_We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot...Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!!..We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot...Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!!_

The coarse voices of the pirates were flowing the wide cabin, throughout an intermixture of ribald laughter and sounds of drinking cups. The feast was teeming with rum , making the crude jokes get multiplied, entertaining the already high spirits of the merry buccaneers.

"Splice the Mainbrace , me hearties! We sail fer the treasure...me smells it, be near!" a very drunk old Blaine , was standing on his chair, waving his pirate flintlock pistol.

"Aye! Aye!"

"Aarr...sit down , ye old squiffy. Me tells ye what...Walk the plank without faltering , and me shall give ye half the booty we find!" Xander arrogantly grinned, before gulping the heady rum from his pirate flask. Beside him, Helen's experienced tongue was performing wonders on his ear and neck.

"Sink me! Butterfingers Blaine walking straight? That be like putting a lubber to stir this floattin' coffen!" a large corsair with a tattooed head, exclaimed, causing the pirate flock to burst into howls of laughter.

" Me shall cut yer throat 'n' send ye straight to Davy Johns' locker, filthy Argus Drake!... after me drinks some of me clap of thunder, fer sure." More shrieks of joy filled the cabin as Blaine landed abruptly on his bottom, and kept drinking unperturbed his precious rum.

_Fifteen men on a dead man's chest. Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest! Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!_

Rum never stopped lubricating his throat and his neck kept being assaulted by Helen's erotic gimmickry, however Xander's leer was wandering with every chance at the opposite side of the cabin, where his alluring prisoner was chained.

Lana was sitting on the floor of the cabin, still and disgusted by the sight of the drunk, trumpet-tongued , pirates. Her body was chained around a wine barrel, right across the pirate table. Truth was that she hadn't always been in bondage. The first days of her captivity, she had been left rather loose...until she had started kicking away the horrible food they were bringing her, and , ultimately, kicking them as well , so her crude captor had ordered she should be restrained. The last days, also, her gown had been torn away, and she had been given female pirate clothes instead; a short Bolero jacket with large sleeves, richly accented with a bold, red floral applicque , a red shirt and a black, leather corset with silver buttons and buckles. All of them, personal order by the swollen-headed master and commander of this ship.

Despite her burning anger, her defiant attitude and her constant threats of what would happen to them if they took away her clothes, secretly she was enjoying her new outfit, more than she would ever like to admit. Even though she was technically a hostage, this new wear combined with the fresh contact with the vulgar pirate life, had infused her with a unique sense of freedom. For the first time in her life, she wasn't expected to be dressed in nice gowns... she wasn't expected to talk with a specific manner...she wasn't expected to act in an agreeable way. Her mind traveled three weeks ago, when she was still sailing with "Krypton", escorting her betrothed, lieutenant commander Clark Joseph Kent, in his big journey to the New Lands. However, his expansionary aspirations, little interest held on her. If she wanted to be frank with herself, a fitly life in the colonies, along side with Clark Kent and the rest high-class drifters, stood for nothing more than what her usual life back in her homeland did; a slow and excruciating death. The only reason she had agreed into following him in this trip, was in an attempt to quarrel with her dominant aunt, chasing her own right in mastering her life, even for once. And to that part, she had succeeded...but after that...

As for any deep feelings of love, that could have persuaded her to submit herself into her predefined destiny, those had long now evanesced. Clark was a good man, and he cared for her, a feeling that was mutual, nonetheless. But it was futile for their common future to keep nourishing a calf love, only for the sake of their families. Still though, she was willing to spend the rest of her miserable days with him, if only he stopped guiding her every little step. It was a dagger in the heart for her to witness the man she had, once upon a time, shared her dreams with, turning like his parents.

All these had led to the scandalous sentiment of relief, the moment she had been captured. Their ship had been plundered the sixth day of their long journey. Few men had been killed, and , though Clark had fought bravely, by the end of the day, she had been taken away along with the rest spoils. Of course she had been scared, and angry, and shocked...which young woman that had been kidnapped by merciless pirates wouldn't have been? The first three nights, she was actually waiting sleepless, dreading for the moment one of those vicious ogres would burst into the small cabin they kept her, and force her into, a God knows what, iniquities. But that moment had never come, and , in the meantime, even if tied up with ropes and chains, she had taken more liberties than she could have possibly dreamed of, setting everyone and everything at naught. And a part of herself knew very well that, she had been acting as if it was her playground, only because _he_ had permitted her to play.

Her eyes drifted towards the bouncing flock, sneaking forbidden glances to her captor. His lofty manner was infuriating and intriguing her the same. Half times she wanted to just rip his uppish eyes off their sockets, and the other half times she just felt the urge to completely surrender herself to his virile scent. It had been long ago since someone had last stirred such strong emotions inside her to life, that she couldn't help but be startled at how a fearful, appalling corsair, out of all people, had achieved it. Considering him absorbed by the songs, the rum and the barefaced woman by his side, she dared to rest her gaze on his rough but yet handsome features more than usual, taking her time in examining his face. A profound scar was cutting its way through his skin, eternally furrowing his face. It was starting almost from the middle of his forehead, momentarily disappearing under his black eyepatch, only to reappear again and continue down to his cheekbone. The roughness of the scar, in combination with the black eyepatch he would never take off, excited her natural curiosity, as it was clear that he wasn't covering his left eye due to some sea trend.

But the eyepatch...the music...the voices...they had all mixed up into a delusive whirl, dusting her mind completely, not letting her realize he had been watching her all along. When she finally noticed his right, blue eye, focused solely on her essence, she immediately felt shivers running down her spine. The intensity of his gaze, made her blood boil uncontrollably inside her veins, in vain striving to scratch its way out and explode. As if he had read her inner turmoil, he circled Helen with his right arm, and, grabbing her by her dark, rich mane, he abruptly yanked her towards him, hungrily devouring her lips with his own. But the b.astard he was, he kept his eye perfectly open and perfectly centered on her, during the whole savory kiss.

Stubbornly, she turned her head away from him, muttering under her breath curses that would never conform to her fine nurture. His presence kept bugging her though, and , as a hypnotized for the hypnotist, she dared another glance to his direction...only to find him standing with a wide grin right above her. She yelped-as much as her restraints allowed her to- but quickly narrowed her eyes at him, sharpening her claws for any possible attack. He didn't speak a word though. Kneeling beside her, he grabbed her face, applying more force as soon as she started to protest. Keeping her in place, he forced her mouth to open, and after taking a sip from his flask, he put its opening between her parted lips. She vehemently shook her head, but he ignored her , and proceeded in pouring a generous amount of rum into her unwelcoming entrance. She spat it out at first, but soon, its inebriant taste along with his tempting proximity, enraptured her, and she took a few good gulps.

He met her face with a smirk, as his gaze fell on her seductive tongue, slightly darting out , to lick her lips, all the time not averting her eyes from his face. His finger slowly traced the smooth skin of her jaw on its own accord, catching one single drop of rum that had escaped her full lips. Bringing his finger into his mouth, he carefully sucked on it, all the time captivating her electrified gaze with his own.

Swept away by their stimulating moment, they both failed to notice a cattish pair of eyes , staring at them with menace.

**XXX**

He stumbled behind her, as she opened the door to her cabin, dragging him in. His laughter echoed inside the small room, and she responded to it with a grin and another swaying of her curvaceous hips. She knew very well what could trigger his senses, and he had appreciated this knowledge of hers numerous times. Tonight, it would be one of those times.

He caught her in his arms, biting and sucking on her exposed neck, but she featly slid away from him with giggles, opening the buttons of her pirate shirt in the process. Instinctively, he searched for his flask. He had drunk a lot tonight, the light inside the cabin was dancing in crazy shapes and forms around him, but the rum was a sweet temptation to which he couldn't possibly say no. When he failed to find it, he frowned, but instantly regained his mood and turned around, willing to go down to the hold and get back some.

She sneaked in front of him, halting his advance, and wittily captured his lips with her own, while her hand found his clothed crotch and rubbed him vigorously through the fabric. He growled in her lips, and she smiled against his eager mouth. Casting at him a glance full of promises, she pulled away for a few minutes and soon showed up into his arms again with another flask and two glasses. She handed him one glass, but he dismissed it, urgently grabbing the flask instead , drinking the heady liquid.

He flashed her his famous grin , as she took a few steps back, all the while admiring how her exposed breasts were sneaking out from her open shirt. The lights around him were dancing more fervently now, and gradually everything inside the cabin turned to a vortex of sounds and colors. His grin suddenly fainted as he faltered backwards, falling on old rugs scatterred on the floor.The last thing he saw, was her steady hands buttoning her shirt, before the abyss engulfed him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Wake up, ye scurvy dog!"

Xander felt the cold sea water soaking his skin, as it was splashed all over him. He had been hearing them for the last half past hour... pacing nervously around him, cursing and snarling...ever so often kicking his booted feet, thinking he was still comatose under the soporific influence of the drugs. He tried the resistance of the fretted ropes by twisting his wrists, but apparently his fellow freebooters had been taught well ; the knots were tight enough. Snorting lightly , he opened his good , right eye and let his stern look scan everything and everyone surrounding him. Even though tied, unarmed and seemingly immobile, his remorseless gaze still forced a couple of corsairs to hesitantly take a step back. He mercilessly swayed his scowl around them, inwardly enjoying to the maximum the way those frightened souls had speechlessly glued eyes on his being, the moment they acknowledged that their dreadful captain had woken up beaten, fastened and angry...very angry by their own deeds. His eyes rested a bit longer on the mastermind of what shined as his rushed elimination plan, the diabolic brunette that was arrogantly standing among the rest silent pirates. The taut stillness in that small cabin was so intense, as if God himself was holding his divine breath while awaiting his reaction.

And then, a sardonic smile cracked his sinister facade. A smile that quickly evolved to a derisive laughter, which was gradually increasing in intensity and malice. The thumping hearts around were instantly flooded with fear and anger, ultimately bursting into a tumult of furious voices.

"Ya horn swogglin' scurvy cur, shut yer mouth!"

"Keelhaul that scallywag!"

"Why ye laugh? Why ye laugh, me asks!"

"Me laughs 'cause before me stand a bunch of dead men , only they don't know it yet..." Xander's calm, deep voice, tinged with irony, ominously lingered above the pirates' heads. They exchanged dazed looks and seemed to hesitate a little, when the booming voice of Argus Drake triggered them once again.

"Come on, me mateys! This lily livered swabbie be tied! Ye fear' im?"

"Nay! Nay! We shall hang 'im from the yardarm, say he moves!"

"Blimey! Me thinks we take off his eyepatch...see what that bilge rat hides underneath!"

"Aye! Aye!"

The sudden death of Xander's laughter caused the fang-less pirate's outstretched hand to hover numb, inches away the corsair's face. He stood there, nailed to the spot, gradually blanching at the sight of the madding flame lurking inside Xander's gaze.

"The simplest touch on me eyepatch fer yer whole arm there.._. matey_..." he snarled.

Before the unexpected changing of balances inside the small cabin and the cravenness of his companions, that big fearsome pirate, Argus Drake, started growing impatient. Turning his focus on the prettiest of their prisoners, he exposed his four gold teeth in a revolting smile. In less than two steps away, a chained Lana was cringing in shock all along, trying to process the muddle that was unfolded before her eyes.

"Let's see if yar scarred , doggy face worths more than this darlin' here"

Lana's eyes widened.

"Don't you dare, you scum..." she warned through tight lips.

Argus Drake looked amused by the exotic brunette's grit.

"Me wants hearin' yar pretty little mouth while firin' me cannon through yar porthole" he brassily retorted, eliciting a series of cackles from the rest buccaneers.

"Ya must worry more fer the sharks than yar cannon, Argus, if ya lay yer filthy hands on her...". Xander unruffledly joined the laughing flock, casting glances full of scoff on them.

Their gazes momentarily crossed, but Argus quickly dismissed Xander's threat and took a step towards Lana...only to be welcomed by the young woman's sturdy resistance, as she spat him straight in the face. More howls of laughter filled the cabin , as the greatness of the insult hurled the pirate's wrath to its limits. Barking vulgar curses, he roughly yanked Lana from her dark mane, all along the voices around exhorting him to the unthinkable.

"Aaarrr! Show her why yar Roger be so Jolly, Argus!"

But through this whole mayhem of shrieks and cackles, no one ever noticed the twisting of Xander's boot, nor even anyone heard the hollow, metallic sound of the blade, as it started up from its heel. With one violent move, he unexpectedly kicked the standing pirate with all his might. The sharp blade easily penetrated Argus' clothes and skin at the level of his calf, ploughing deep into his flesh. A wild roar escaped from the depths of the buccaneer's throat, as the stab of pain overwhelmed him.

"Take off his boot! Take off his bloody boot!"

A bunch of terror-struck men jumped at Xander, striving to take him out, but the ferociousness of his attack was unmatchable. Despite the punches he was receiving or the tightness of his own restraints, he kept stabbing Argus, twisting and forcing the blade deeper into his wound. Within this pandemonium, Lana crouched closer to the wooden boards of the walls, as much as her ropes allowed her to. Her scared eyes were frantically dancing between the unrully pirates before her and the spurting blood that was painting everything scarlet.

The struggle to take off his boots seemed hopeless, and in the end they only managed to do it because he let them , relaxing under arms that were clenching him like vices. But he couldn't be tamed and he fiercely bit one of them, when the pirate tried to headlock him. He only stopped when he received a strong kick in the guts, but even then his smirk refused to fade away. Lifting up his eyes, Xander only briefly caught a glance of the back of a palm, rapidly making contact with his cheek, as a row of silver rings gashed the flesh of his lips. He spat out the blood streaming from the cut and chuckled sarcastically when Helen's angry voice echoed in his ears.

"Clever me lad...hidin' the dirk inside yar boot" she leaned her head to the right, where in the back of the cabin Argus Drake was already trying through painful cries and baleful curses , to sear the deep wound. "But ye're the last dog to shout orders 'n' threats now , savvy?"

"Easy to brag like that when you have him under bondage."

Several faces turned dumbfounded towards Lana. The young brunette swallowed hard. She couldn't comprehend where in the middle of that nasty chaos, she had gathered the courage to voice herself, or why she had even said what she had dared to say. But at that moment, a strong impulse, flowing from an inner need to stand by him, by her own captor, urged her to speak. However, the welcoming surprise she distinguished in the confused glance he cast at her, convinced her to keep her chin lifted and her look steady , when Helen approached her.

"Ya viper...this be all yer fault! Thinkin' ye could come aboard with yer pouty little lips 'n' steal me man."

"Steal? I am not to blame for what you lost on your own!" Lana felt a rush of blood running through her cheeks. "Besides what...what I could possibly expect from such a man? He is no less of a pig than the rest of you." It was too late though to cover what had slipped her lips; Xander's scoffing grin was already shining on his scarred face.

"Is this yer fear me smells thar , Helen?" he sneered. " Sweatin' while ye feel the planks tremblin' under yer feet, 'cause ye found yer match?"

"Me? Equal to _her_?!" Lana vividly protested. "How do you dare to compare me to such a lousy pirate?!"

"B.ITCH!" The loud smack inflamed Lana's face. Instinctively, Xander attempted to move towards the women, but the weight of the two pirates by his sides, was effectively pinning him down. Helen grabbed Lana by her shirt , jerking her closer, with her whispers oozing venom.

"Mark me words..Yer days be numbered."

She shoved Lana down and made her way to stand above Xander , once again.

"As fer yer self...Ye stopped bein' me captain , ever since ye dropped yer sea rover 'n' delayed our plans to find the booty...'cause ye lusted after this landlubber's whore. From now on, me commands , ye listen ...and if not, ye'll meet the rope's end, me bucco."

Turning towards the rest corsairs, Helen raised her arms triumphantly.

"Ahoy, me lads! Lift the colors, we're sailin' fer the treasure!"

**XXX**

She twisted her wrists again and sighed , for the pain would not pity her and ease itself. The ropes were just too tight. She could feel her hands surrendering themselves to numbness...or maybe that could have been her feeble senses confusing her , as she couldn't really tell how many hours she had suffered there, tied with tighter and thicker ropes, tired and hungry. The time was mocking her , slowing down on purpose. But somewhere inside her, she was sure that she...no, they...they had been left like this for more than a day now, forced to feel content with the cups of water they would give them. And which they had to somehow keep steady on the wooden floor, everytime the ship threatened to tilt, as the tempest of the last days was turning more and more ferocious.

She glanced at Xander. With eyes firmly closed, he seemed to have been sleeping for hours. Not that , when he wasn't sleeping, he had been much of a help. They hadn't really exchanged many words during their shared time as captives, and everytime they had , it had been merely to insult or provoke one another. But how could he be sleeping so apathetically?How could he dismiss the stress that was engulfing her? He was the one, after all, that had been dethroned from his playground. And despite all odds, what was even worse, was that she could spy on herself hating the closeness to this man, and at the same time , under the thought of them depriving her of him, missing his presence already. It was aggravating the already edged treading of her nerves. A hidden part of her needed to just break down to tears. But she had long ago swore she wouldn't do anyone the favor again to watch her cry. The favor to witness her being weak. If only her fingertips hadn't started to grow so cold...

The cabin door creaked and Butterfingers Blaine stepped in, trailing his pegleg on the boards. He carried two wooden bowls, which he clumsily laid down before them.

"Loose her ropes a bit...the bastards made' em tight."

Lana was startled by Xander's draggy and stern voice. So he had been awake, hearing her torment all along?

"Xander me..." Blaine faltered.."..me never planned any of this, me tastes the bloody cat o'nine tails, if lyin'! That female scallywag..."

"Shut up." Xander cut him off, not even sparing him the slightest look of pity. "Loose the ropes."

Blaine silently obeyed , a habit he had learned the hardest way from his early age; to follow orders. Lana raised her hands to him and welcomed the unhoped-for relief , as soon as her restraints gave slightly away. The pegleg pirate glanced at Xander before leaving. His lower lip quivered lightly, as if he wanted to say something , but instead he ruefully bowed his head and exited the cabin.

Not wasting any time, and as if nothing had supervened, Xander grabbed the wooden bowl before him, and started eating its nasty mush. Lana pensively watched him, all the time faintly biting her lower lip.

"Thank you..."

It was not more than an unwilling mutter, but it was enough to draw that sly grin once again on his face.

"What are ye hummin' thar, me beauty? Louder..._ if ye please_."

Lana rolled her eyes.

"You heard me pretty well."

"Nay. Nothin' reached me ears."

"Then i suggest you clean the muck out of them more often."

Xander laughed lightly. How that man could pull her strings that way, was beyond her; one minute, she had dared to feel gratitude for him , only to desperately want to gag him in the next one.

"Why don't ye just eat yer food, darlin'? " he pointed to her untouched meal.

"No way I am eating that slop.."

"Well, it's not Salmagundi , but it will strengthen ye up...so ye can start speakin' louder."

"Very funny...besides why should i eat, it's not like they will pity me and spare my life. Soon I will end up dead, anyway."

"No ye won't.."

The ship growled as wild waves hit it from every side, causing an earth shattering rumble. Lana thought that if the ropes weren't holding her, she could have easily rolled to the other side of the cabin, following the mass of smashed bottles that had found their fate onto the wooden boards.

"Damn those rascals 'n' their thick sculls... we're sailin' straight to the bloody bedlam." Xander grunted.

Lana wet her lips. As much as the rage of the wild sea was giving her-unused to tempests-self the shivers, her hungering eyes were still hanging onto him and his previous words, silently urging him to continue.

"Right... in case you didn't notice, I am not exactly the strongest ring of the chain on this ship..." .

"They won't hurt ye...They know well they need me..."

"Need you? You are here with me, chained and beaten, not up there with them... why would they need you?"

Xander's face gradually darkened, under the weight of a parallel reality that would remain both unseen and untold. His eyes seemed to momentarily space out to the void before him, as a welter of thoughts and memories befogged his mind.

"They need me fer the treasure 'cause..."

_cause I am having those demonic dreams that lead me there _

" ..'cause only me knows the way." He eyed her briefly, inwardly shaking himself out of his inchoate trance and back to the loathsome reality of his captivity. "So ye're safe until they find it...Now, better eat yer food..."

Lana mechanically stared at the wooden bowl in front of her. Her mind felt torn between wanting to know more about the whole mystery of this treasure, that apparently ruled her own fate, and trying to process what he had just unwillingly admitted; that she, a woman that held no importance to the pirate world , a girl that ended up a hostage, was a fair reason for someone like him to seal his lips...and thus risk his pirate soul , if not revealing the hide of the treasure. She really had no patience at that moment to deal with all the implications or the possibilities that lurked within his words.

A random thought crossed her mind and her stare moved to her dusty hands. She had never eaten using just her bare hands. Heck, she had never eaten without using a fork, she thought.

"I ... I cannot eat this.." she hesitated , as if encouraging him to understand her difference.

He leaned his head and gazed her thoughfully, as if reading the pages of her thoughts.

"Ye know...eatin' is not an option.It's not a matter of 'Me has a fork, me eats...Me has no fork, me passes'...eatin' is a need..and ye better satisfy yer needs, me wench, before they swallow ye up..."

Xander returned his attention to his food, leaving Lana mentally fumbling with the dual meaning of his sayings. After a deep sigh, her fingertips hesitantly reached the bowl.

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

The world around had blurred into a playful dance of light and colors. The sun had lowered , pouring its post-meridian halo on the blooming nature. Her senses felt risen, as if she could inhale the essence of the forest, just like she was breathing in his intoxicant smell on her inflamed skin. Their bodies, clad in their birthday suits, writhed together under the weight of their passion. She felt every single nerve of hers being assaulted by the euphoric warmness of the afternoon, whenever his skillful mouth treasured a newly exposed inch of her flesh. He would trail hungry kisses from the velvet of her lips, down her soft neck...always paying separate attention on her pounding pulse..further down to the valley of her female curves and then, all the way back up again. He would disorientate her like this, leaving her heavy eyelids surrender to the sweet dizziness he was gracing her with, making her feel that being with him in that very place...at that very moment, equaled to savoring the world around them.

He moved his head lower , dragging his teeth along the smooth skin of her abdomen, soothing the hot path he created with the wetness of his tongue. He nipped and tasted every secret spot of hers, stimulated more and more by her soft purrs that reached his ears. She clenched his shoulders , unintentionally urging him to move even lower. Her hands caressed down the reflexing muscles of his arms, reaching the knuckles of his own ones, firmly placed on her bronze hips. They were already lightly tagging at each side of her thin undergarment, the last barrier between him and her moist sex.

"Take them off..." she pleaded, and the part of him that adored to be begged, lifted up his sly gaze on her face. With one swift move , he tore her panties away, eliciting a small gasp from her. He closed his eyes and let his cool breath caress the already swollen center of her discomfort. She lifted up her bare leg, smoothing its way on his ribs, pressing and rubbing his own naked flesh. Her simplest touch was automatically propelling waves of electricity throughout his body, making him grunt against her labia and bite down lightly on her inner thigh.

"Alexander..."

He began sucking his way to her clit, letting the tip of his tongue lightly play with the swollen bud, cooling it off. With the first contact, she hissed and had to hold herself from just grabbing his head and burying it inside her. Alexander's tongue started adding pressure on her with circular motions, as he used his fingers to part her nether lips further. Soon, his lips joined the dance, sucking and kissing hungrily, meeting every thrust of her pelvis back to his face. The fingers of his right hand gripped her hip with bruising force, keeping her shuddering body in place and guiding her motions.

Lana had never felt so desired in her life and her moans of pleasure filled the air, when, without any warning, he ploughed two united fingers inside her. He would push his fingers deeper and part them, stretching her hot channel before he would almost pull them out...and then he would repeat this game again and again, jolting her senses to overdrive. Her palms moved to cup her breasts, squeezing them in rhythm to his fingers' thrusts, pinching and twisting her erect nipples. As if the sight of her naked self graciously sprawled beneath him hadn't already been enough, the vision of such a gorgeous creature playing like that with her own bosom, sent an even more vehement rush of blood to his rigid penis. Sensing his burgeoning titillation, she moved her foot between his thighs and started massaging his throbbing girth. This made his chest heave rapidly and, in response, he maximized the pressure on her clit, shoving his fingers in and out faster.

The first crystalline drop on her forehead , startled her. Lost in the ecstasy of her growing orgasm, she had missed the clouds that had meanwhile shadowed the sky , cloaking the sunlight. But when the rest drops followed soon after, like a stormy paean for spring itself, she welcomed them. The smell of the rain stimulated her nostrils, intensifying the moment. She stretched her hands , curving her fingers in the damp soil as Alexander was hungrily traveling his velvet tongue all the way from her clit to her stretched entrance, and back to her buzzing bud. Through heavy eyelids, she was staring at the world around her; at the cold raindrops falling on their naked torsos...at the afternoon light that was still flaring through the gray clouds...and she could feel herself surrendering to an unprecedented rapture, as her orgasm started mercilessly hitting her in waves. The essence of her being compressed to a tiny, little sphere for a second , before erupting uncontrollably to jolts of pleasure, sent through every nerve of her system, the moment Alexander's fingers were shoved even deeper inside her, stroking her secret spot. Crying his name to the world, Lana arched her back and pressed her pelvis on his face, trapping him among her folds, from which he obediently sucked her intoxicant nectar to the last drop.

Coming down from her high, she smiled at the scattered thoughts around her, unable to collect herself from what she had just lived. The raindrops were passing her open lips, as she let small pants escape her lungs and she couldn't help but keep her eyes closed and hear her own chuckles of bliss. She was so full of him and it felt so complete. Feeling his own release still caged, Alexander trailed his tongue from her bellybutton to her lips, capturing and sucking them passionately. As her tongue met his in a wild dance of emotions, she could taste herself on him and that stirred a new fire within her lower belly. His hands , wet and not less muddy than hers, cupped possessively her two breasts, mimicking her own previous actions.

"I believe they fit better in my hands...milady.."

His husky voice against her lips in combination with his full erection pressing hard against her inner thigh, elicited a low moan from her. She was growing impatient again, she wanted to grace him with the satisfaction he had just blessed her with. She widened her legs , attempting to lock them around his waist, sending him the message that she was ready for him, right then and there. However, the cunning spark in his eyes revealed that he was in for a whole other game.

With a swift move, Alexander flipped her over , sneaking his arm around her abdomen for support. Lana's chin risked to come in contact with the moistened soil due to the abrupt turn, but she instinctively flattened her palms on the ground to steady herself. She didn't delay to read his intentions and she bit down her lip with anticipation. His left hand moved up and squeezed her hip hard, adoring how her soft skin tingled under his touch. His sexual excitement was multiplying itself by the second, leaving his senses to battle in a testosterone turmoil. Lana felt his eager shaft gently slapping her buttocks and pushed back in response.

The rumble of thunder echoed in the forest the moment he penetrated her burning labia with one sharp move. Lana threw her head back and groaned in satisfaction as he filled her completely. Alexander kept still for a moment, his body shivering in the feeling of her hot , inner walls already pumping his member. Then, he let a low growl escape his lips, before pulling himself out very slowly, almost ritually, before shoving his rod once again inside her with tender force. He went on at this pace for a while, slowly withdrawing before sharply "attacking" her channel again, every time intensifying their friction. With one hand he was still squeezing her hip, guiding her ass to his crotch, while the other one traced its way up her ribs, and after briefly and gently slapping her right breast, it moved towards her beautiful, dark mane. Grabbing her suddenly by her hair, Alexander pulled Lana's head towards him , evoking a light cry from her. Never allowing his firm grip on her hair to loose, he started thrusting more vigorously, all along proving that he was the absolute rider of this sexual race.

All Lana could do was to blissfully surrender to the forbidden sensations he was introducing her to with each hard thrust. The Kryptonian part of herself , the one that had been upbrought within the "must" and "must not" that escorted her fine class, was feeling slightly guilty for enjoying their vehement coupling, for allowing him every time to take her wherever and however he wanted...granted it would never be with the most orthodox or widely acceptable ways. But at the same time, this was exactly what she loved in him, this dark side that emerged to the surface of their erotic life , the fact that however tender he was with her, however cold he stood in front of others, there was still that inner, wild beast he was unleashing to dominate her completely, to teach her rules and games anyone else wouldn't even dare to mutter...to possess her body and soul and shiver in forbidden mirth , whenever she would possess him back.

Sealing their galloping union, Lana followed his shuddering release and cried for a second time his name that afternoon, as the rainstorm was lashing the forest with all its might, smudging the world around.

**XXX**

Lana's eyes followed a small, pellucid drop as it traced its clear path on the nearest leaf, before meeting the damp, odoriferous ground. In the aftermath of the rainstorm, the last rays of light slid through the departing clouds, making the wet nature sparkle mysteriously as the little drips reflected the sunset's colors. Snuggled in each other's arms and clad with nothing but Alexander's warm cape - which surprisingly was the only still dry cloth, as if it emanated its own magic - , they were enjoying the tranquillity of Lilacs Glade under an old willow. Despite its name, the glade was totally stripped from lilacs , although the elders used to narrate that in a past and forgotten era , that small clearing of the forest was colored violet from the one side to the other. In Alexander's and Lana's minds though, it had been serving as the perfect hide for their undisclosed love.

"Thy heart is pounding within thy chest, my lord" Lana's soft voice came from where she was nestling on his naked chest.

"It is racing to meet thine own, milady..." Alexander calmly remarked , somehow sensing Lana's heart dancing wildly , chased by worries.

"Thoughts are troubling thy mind... I am here for thee if thou need to unload thy soul..."

"Those thoughts might not be different than thine own..."

"Truth may be..." Lana sighed "... I just have no desire for this day to end... I wish we could stay hither forever, my lord...but I am afraid i have to return to the palace anon..."

"I know thou hast..."

"The sun is setting. Before long, the ladies of the court will withdraw to their private chambers, the vernal feast will have ended for them...I still need to invent a story to tell my maids as soon as they lay their eyes on my bemired gown." she giggled her last words.

"I am going back to Shadowland. I arranged mine entourage to leave earlier this morning, therefore i would not be delayed on my journey. If i leave tonight, i can be passing the gates of my land early on the morrow."

Alexander's cold voice forced her violently out of the web of her thoughts. Lana pulled back from his warm embrace and locked her startled gaze with his, disappointment spelled all over her pretty face.

"So soon, my lord?"

He nodded slowly, enjoying the stubborn pursing of her full lips. "...However if a certain young princess misses my presence in Krypton, she shall be more than welcome to attend my fighting endeavors in a week from now."

"Thou wish to tell me that her Majesty invited thee to the archery concours?"

"Aye, within the spirit of cease-fire and the potential of a peace treaty, i shall be one of the Queen's special guests in this event." he gave her a sly smile as he watched her worried mood morphing into a mixture of relief and enthusiasm.

Lana leaned in and placed featherly kisses on his lips, her careless giggles not allowing them to turn into deeper ones. Pulling back again, her eyes drowned in his blues and she pensively shook her head in a bittersweet tone.

"So much happiness, Alexander...so much unhoped-for happiness bedewing our lives, these days... Could be some mighty God who mocketh us or could we..."

"...deserve this?...We do deserve this, my love." He smiled at her reassuringly and felt warmth overflowing his insides when she returned the smile. " And there is something else, you deservest even more..."

With that, Alexander stretched his hand , reaching an inside pocket of his cape, which till then had stayed invisible. Bringing a small, velvet stock purse in his hands, he carefully took out its precious content. Lana's eyes gleamed at the sight of the most brilliant gemstone she had ever admired. The translucent white diamond was reflecting on its crystalline surface all the warm colors of the sunset, playfully sparkling in the slightest motion. A platinum chain, graven with minuscule ideograms completed the mesmerizing pendant.

"This ... is the fleur du mal."

Lana stared at the adornment in awe. "Interesting name."

"It is a family heirloom. Its roots reach back to the days of Sageeth...when kingdoms would not exist, and people would worship the spirits... and fairies would embellish their daily lives ...and all the rest tales our mothers would tell us to fall asleep..."

"Thou ne'r believed in the legends, my lord?"

"I prefer to believe in now, milady."

"Fairies always sounded exhilarating" she teased.

"My mind was ne'r bothered for i have met mine..." he whispered , making her blush, before he gently pulled her silky hair aside, exposing her bronze neck to him.

"Alexander, this belongeth to thy legacy, i cannot accept..."

"Sshhhh..."

Locking the pendant around her neck, he placed a soft kiss on her shoulder blade, before leaning back to appreciate the sublime view. Lana traced a finger down the shiny facet of the jewel, amazed by how light it weighted on her chest, despite the fair-sized diamond.

"It is beautiful..."

"Now, it is even more."

She beamed and seeked his lips again, before cuddling up to him in order to treasure their last moments in the Lilacs Glade. Alexander tightened his arms around her and she allowed herself to muse on their unique moment once more, all the time hushing an intruding and weak, inner voice whispering to her that all this was nothing more but the calm before the storm.

**XXX**

"So, will princess Lana and lady Chloe grace us with their presence soon?"

"I already told thee, Oliver. The ladies of the court never stay in the feast past the sunset. They are probably already cuddling tightly on their soft beds."

Following the peak of the starriest night, the Kryptonian spree was already touching its zenith, when prince Kal, accompanied by lord Queen, decided to join the traditional fiesta. Having repudiated the royal clothes for regular Kryptonian tunics, they could easily slip among the bobbish peasants and mix with them with success. Surely, they still would not avoid a deep bow, whenever a sober villager would stumble on their way, however the Kryptonians were more focused on relishing the feast and selling their products.

Long stalls had been set up since dawn for the largest trade fair during spring around those lands. Various goodies from every corner of Krypton and beyond, were being exhibited; from rare fruits and domestic liqueurs to assorted weapons and other artifacts, anything that could make any Kryptonian or foreigner beam in amazement and shove his hand deeper in his pocket. Besides, the whole celebration was teeming with wine, the ample supply of food was making the spirits merrier and the entertainers had devoted themselves to a delirious, musical zeal, completing this miscellany of sounds and colors.

"When i shall have the honor to meet the two beautiful ladies of thy life, then?"

"Thou shall have the honor and the _pleasure_ on the morrow, my dear friend. For tonight, i think thou might find the company of Kryptonian wenches more enthralling." Kal winked as they took seats on a long table before a large fire. Around the fire, young and older Kryptonians were succumbing themselves into a delirium of various dances, clapping and cheering their excitement in the nocturnal sky.

"So, Oliver, would thou carest to share thine impression for Krypton and its beauties this far?"

"Oh, I am already appreciating them immensely." the blond man retorted, smiling broadly at a brunette girl who had approached them to fill their cups with red wine.

"I was referring to the sights." Kal shook his head and laughed. Oliver seemed too caught up in fondling the young woman to hear him. She slipped from his hands giggling, and proceeded in filling Kal's cup without losing her pearly smile.

"Your Highness..."

Kal lifted an eye brow and gently slapped her butt as she was leaving.

"I begin to apprehend why the lords of thy court make their appearance only past the sunset" Oliver grinned.

"The life of a warrior is dangerous and stressful, my friend. What then, our bodies should not deserve those little amenities?" Kal's sarcastic look made Oliver's grin even wider and he lifted up his cup for a toast.

"To Kryptonian nights, then!...hmm...the wine tastes fine, but thou allowest me to add, not better than the divine nectar thou hast tried from the Queen vineyards."

"You can contribute the wine, while we can contribute the wenches, then."

"Fair trade!" They both laughed wholeheartedly while gulping down their drinks.

Oliver's gaze eagerly scanned the place around. "Many beautiful women, without a doubt. But i fail to find one among them that would thrill my spirits."

"Certes thou shall find one soon. Thou hast no idea, my dear friend, how willing those drunk peasants can be."

Suddenly, his restless browse came to an end, a twinkle dancing in the corner of his eyes while his lips curled up to a satisfied smile.

"Mayhap thou art right , my friend...Yonder, the tall beauty in the emerald gown..."

Instantly, Kal's face darkened.

"Not her, Oliver. She is trouble."

"Imagine the curvaceous body hidden under that gown..."

"Trust me , the young Lane is not what thou seekest." Kal insisted more sternly, while whisking away the annoyingly tempting image of Lois' body, that his companion had just planted in his mind.

Oliver crossed his arms over his chest and slyly cocked an eye brow at him.

"Sounds like thine excellency knowth this girl more than I thought. I shall not hide mine eagerness to hear the story behind thine annoyance."

Kal rolled his eyes.

"I am not annoyed, i am only attempting to save a friend from an unsuccessful night. Her name does not remind thee anything? Lois is the daughter of Samuel Lane, once upon a time General in Shadowland."

"Aye, I have heard of him. So...?"

"So, she was the one to incite the riots against Shadowland , yesterday around the Kent palace."

"A wench with opinion! I think i am falling in love with Kryptonian women more and more."

"This is not the time for mockery, Oliver." Kal pushed , "The woman is arrogant and , clearly, has no idea of her place in our society. Thou shall not believe the profanities and threats she uttered the moment my mother dismissed her ridiculous pleas to revoke the order for cease-fire with the Shadowlanders."

"With all the respect, Kal, but i shall not blame the girl. I am still at a loss for words that her Majesty, the Queen of Krypton, actually fell for a slaughterer's lies, for that is what the Duke really is."

"Now is not the time to discuss this", Kal grunted between clentched teeth.

"I wholeheartedly agree...", Oliver patted his friend's back "...now is the time for me to spend an unforgettable night with that beautiful creature by my side."

"Ne'r say i did not try to warn thee."

" 'Tis done...but since i am sensing a rather surprising tension hither, i am challenging thee , my old friend, to ask this wench for a single dance." Oliver's eyes gleamed mischievously under the blaze of the nearby fire.

"I pray thy pardon?"

"Thou heard me well, Kal. What could be simpler and more innocent than a dance in a joyous feast? Yet , Gods my witnesses, I bet thou cannot do it."

"Marry, Oliver! Is it thyself or the wine that is talking already? Forgive me, i shall not participate in this game."

"As thou will, my friend. I guess thou can always be watching while I dance with her." Oliver chuckled and stood up, jauntily heading for a certain, young wench.

Lois had started feeling uncomfortable the moment she had set foot in the vernal feast. During the past years, she had been brainstorming the one excuse after the other in order to guarantee herself a peaceful night each time, away from the celebrating fever that seemed to engulf her fellow countrymen. This year though, her will bent under her father's nudges, and since he had been now more than ever in his worse condition, bed ridden and impuissant , she had decided that there was no reason to break his old heart even further. She was a warrior however, hammer-dressed in the most aggravating circumstances in Shadowland, and even though they had long ago left behind them the dark swamps of that damned land, even in Krypton, weapons and armors would still be her specialty, as much as the work next to a blacksmith allowed her of course. The bottom line of this was that...she owned no gown for special occasions. And whenever she would be "forced" into one, she would feel like an animal in captivity.

She had almost given up when her father's weak voice had suggested to try on the only feminine cloth respectfully hidden in the chests of their hut; her mother's emerald gown. Along with a flimsy, soft shawl, they had been the only possessions belonging to her dead mother that she had managed to save from the fierce flames , that prophetic night they had run away from Metropolis as if they were fugitives. And there she was now; sparkling like an emerald herself, with the shawl gracefully hugging her shoulders. It didn't matter if the dress was old or if its edges were slightly tatty, it still fit her perfectly , highlighting her curves in all the right places. She was still feeling a bit awkward though, thus it hadn't taken her long to find a more entertaining task for her style; surrounded by men, throwing daggers to an off-hand target. And when Oliver came, she had just hit bull's-eye.

"Such an airy being rising to prominence in such a masculine sport...certes a rare sight to admire."

Lois rolled her eyes and turned, ready to kick out of her personal space yet another irritating pint pont. Facing though a tall and charming noble, caught her off balance.

"A lord?" she shamelessly measured him up and down, with a hint of irony coloring her features.

"A lord that knowth how to appreciate any woman that can master the daggers like this. Thy technique vividly remindth me of Shadowland's experts."

"And how would a noble like you know anything about Shadowland?"

"Believe me, my lady, i had my share in encounters within the battlefields of the Lunar Valley."

Lois chewed on her lip for a moment. Being flirted by a handsome noble couldn't have cared her less.But when that noble proved to be a warrior , having lived the horror of the war much like herself, the balances undoubtedly changed. Besides, she couldn't deny that, up to then, the gorgeous , blond man in front of her might have been the best moment of that boring night.

The musicians began playing a more light-hearted melody, effectively catching Oliver's attention.

"I might be neither as sharp nor as entertaining as those daggers are, but would thou still join me in this dance, mistress...?"

"Lois..."

"Mistress Lois it shall be then." , he warmly smiled and stretched out his hand to her.

Lois' eyes lingered for a minute between his outstretched hand and the couples already dancing to the jolly rhythm, considering her options. Concluding that she could allow herself some fun before taking the road back to lowlands, she placed her hand in his.

**XXX**

An hour had passed. An hour during which they had laughed ...and had drunk wine...and had danced...and had drunk more wine. An hour, with him always seated there, clawing within his own skin, drowning his growing anger in the bottles of wine he was emptying, boiling in his insides as he watched them closely. He couldn't fathom where the jealousy stopped and the rage began, what had been stabbing his mind first and what had joined second, or why on earth he was experiencing such feelings in the first place. He was fooling himself that his reaction to them was nothing more than the result of Oliver's stubbornness to override his warnings, in combination with the heady wine he was consuming. But still , the sight of their joined bodies as they were dancing to the sweet melodies , had been carved in his memory, and for some reason it hurt more than a scorpion's sting.

They had returned to playing with the daggers now, with Oliver clearly trying to impress her ... or at least this was how it looked in his fogged mind. Suddenly, Kal stood up. Gulping down the last drops of his wine, he walked steadily towards them with his azure eyes nailed on an emerald gown.

"Dead centre...impressive...What a pity thy previous dagger missed the target." Kal appeared out of the blue, his cocky smile planted on his gorgeous face. Lois had just thrown three daggers, with one of them slightly missing the center for no more than half inch. At the unexpected sound of his voice, a quiver ran through her body and as if it was her natural reflex to him, she felt her nerves tensing.

"And here was me wondering what buzzing noise reached mine ears...and , awww...it was you."

"Uhm..my lady, in case thou forgot, thou art adressing to..." Oliver mumbled uneasily before her audacity.

"The Prince of Krypton? No reason for worry, my lord" Lois cut him off with a disarming smile " I happen to remember all faces, both pleasant and ... unpleasant."

Surprisingly, Kal chuckled arrogantly at her words, without sharing his friend's discomfort for a second. Fighting the urge to rub the smugness off his face, Lois's lips curled up to a sardonic grin and turned her back, approaching the target.

"An it please you, Your Highness, hither stand only the ones who know how to handle a dagger... you can join the rest amateurs and enjoy our little competition as much as it pleaseth you", Lois grinned even widely and started pulling out one by one the small knives.

"Leave those daggers there!"

She froze and turned her focus on him once again , ready to protest.

"I bet thee, my lady, that i can nail three more daggers right on that center, without thou removing the ones already there."

"This is insane" Lois stared at him incredulously "The space left is hardly enough for one."

In response, Kal slightly lifted up his hands, in a gesture of surrender. "If i fail, I promise i shall leave the feast that very moment and betimes on the morrow, i shall summon the royal council to reconsider thy suggestions over the cease-fire."

Several heads turned around and looked at the prince in a mixture of awe and disbelief. Lois on the other hand, narrowed her eyes on him.

"And what if you succeed?"

"Thou shall offer me the next dance."

Lois felt her breath getting snagged up her throat. She was startled by the absolute simplicity as well as balanced might - the one that would naver take a "no" for an answer - he had uttered his last words with. Casting a brief glance around, she met only faces that were impatiently hanging from the answer between her lips.

"Very well...your Highness."

As Lois was choosing three new daggers for his excellency, Oliver leaned his head towards him, speaking through the clentched teeth of his dazzling grin.

"May I ask , what art thou doing?"

"What doth it look like I am doing? I am accepting thy challenge."

"Really? And it took thee so long because...?"

"Long? The night is still young, Oliver. Why would thou worry, though? What could be simpler and more innocent than a dance in a joyous feast?" Kal winked smugly at his blond companion, before moving closer to Lois who handed him the daggers.

The first dagger quickly found its aim, without stirring the peace of the ones Lois and other men had earlier thrown. Kal's quest though had just got harder, as he had still two more daggers and visibly not enough space left, not without forcing one of the rest knives to fall at least. Lois greeted him with a contemptuous smile, ready to hooray his humiliation. However, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, when Kal flashed her his trademark grin in response and lifted both daggers, holding each in either hand. Mastering all his focus on the target, he swiftly threw the daggers simultaneously. They flied in perfect sync right before Lois' widened eyes and got impaled in either side of the first dagger, trapping it between them. They forced it to faintly move from its initial position, enough to create more space for them without risking its detachment from the wooden surface. The whole target wobbled for a few seconds, but not a single knife fell.

The crowd around them broke into cheers. Oliver clapped lazily, admitting however his defeat and Kal gestured towards Lois, politely showing her the way to the rest dancers. Her lips morphed into a tight, inflexible but she had no choice than to pass before him, allowing him to follow.

They stayed still for a couple of seconds, just glaring at each other , before they hesitantly started swinging their bodies to the melody.She wasn't murmuring a single word, and surprisingly, he found himself wishing that she would, just like usual, only because the silence settled between them along with the enchanting music , were motivating his mind to travel in thoughts and possibilities it shouldn't. Gradually, he was losing himself, diving deeper and deeper within her hazel depths and he had neither Oliver, nor the wine to blame this time.

Lois wasn't doing any better on her part. His breathtaking scent had audaciously invaded her sensitive nostrils and she was sensing herself being swept away by the sound of lute. She craved to say something, anything, so badly, just to crack the intolerable silence, but in the way his sapphire was penetrating her, she was finding it impossible. She made a few twists around him, following the music, but she trembled at the thought of proximity, when seeing other Kryptonians around them lifting their dames, just as the dance was ordering.

It didn't take long for that to happen either. Lois almost yelped when his hands circled her waist. He effortlessly lifted her up, made one full turn , and carefully put her down again. She feared she would start faltering right then and there, but she managed to keep up with the dancing steps despite their overwhelming contact. Kal felt his sweat streaming down the back of his neck as the heat of the moment threatened to overpower him. His hands though mocked his discomfort and found once again the curve of her waist, moving under a will that he could swear was not his own.

The second time Lois was lifted up, the time slowed down, contrasting the beating of their hearts. Her frangrance danced with the soft sounds and lights enveloping them, and wittily crept into Kal's senses. Lois closed her eyes and let the nightly breeze stroke her face. When she opened them again, he was gazing up at her with dreamy eyes , for she shimmered as a dream herself, lifted up in the air and with the starry sky emerging behind her in all his glory. She slowly slid down from his arms, his hands faintly grazing up her ribs and the sides of her breasts as she moved. With her feet touching the solid ground, but her spirits still pretty much lingering in the cool air, she remained still and trapped in his arms, feeling the heaving of his hard chest, breathing in the trembling breaths he was exhaling.

Kal spied on himself leaning in , but when her eyes welcomed him, he saw his very own fire reflecting in them...and it scared him. Blinking away the spell, he cleared his throat at the same time a shocked Lois was taking one step back. The magic of the moment had faded away in an instant.

"Lois, I..."

"What do my eyes see yonder, my lord? A drinking competition? Now that is what we, the lowlanders, call entertainment." Lois hurriedly cut him off and spinned around towards the villagers who were trying to outdrink one another, relieved she had discovered a way out of their moment's dead end.

Kal mentally groaned, but still reached up to her. Having regained his proud composure, he stood next to her, casting disdainful glances at the already drunk churls.

"Watching some bottle-ale rascals larking and drinking the night away? Indeed, i must agree with thee, unbelievably entertaining."

"Watching? Who talked about just watching, your Highness? I plan to join in."

"God's wounds! Thou surely must be joking."

"Admit it, my lord, you just cannot hold your liqueur, can you?" she rolled her eyes and made a move towards the men. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain on her arm halting her step. Kal had squeezed her a little tighter than intended.

"Let go of me", she hissed.

"Thou cannot take part in such ridiculous games, among those scullions."

"Is that an order? For yesterday's incidents should have taught you i don't do well with orders."

"Careful, my lady. Do not ta'en my patience for stupidity" he whispered.

"Your words, my lord. Not mine."

She jerked her arm away from him and showily took a seat among the rest boozers, boldly placing herself in the game. Kal's intense gaze burned through her and he couldn't help but voice himself once again.

"This is neither a place nor a habit appropriate for ladies."

"Ladies?" she cackled before adopting a colder look "The last one ran to lock herself inside with the last ray of sunset.You shall find no ladies hither..."

With his anger drumming his temples, Kal decided that his male pride had heard enough. Making a volteface, he bumped shoulders with a lost Oliver, who was meanwhile coming their way, and without halting for a second , he walked away irritated.

**XXX**

The stars looked as if they had come down from the sky with sole purpose to succumb themselves into the hazy dance of her mind. She had lost track on how much time had passed since Oliver had managed to drag her away from the feast and she was sure that if she cut her veins right then and there, there would be no blood flooding out, but red wine. Judging from the empty bottles scattered around them, Oliver didn't seem to be in a better condition. He was fluffing, mixing his words, in his attempt to whisper to her sweet nothings, as they were heavily making out behind some bushes, somewhere within the vast Kent Gardens.

However tempting his kisses were and however arousing those hickeys on her neck felt, she had started feeling uncomfortable for a while now with the speed they were moving. Peasant girl or not, her intentions were still far from getting banged behind some bushes under the heat alcohol had generated inside them. And there was also that weak voice at the back of her mind that was fiantly begging her to go home.

"Not so fast there, my lord" she uneasily smiled the moment Oliver started lifting up her gown "Why begin something you shall not even remember on the morrow?"

"Of course i shall remember every little detail of this night...and of thy body" he mumbled before attacking her neck again.

"Welli i shall not/i though." Lois firmly stated, momentarily detaching herself from his grip. "It is time for me to leave."

Unexpectedly, Oliver grabbed her arm and forced her back onto the grass with him , shamelessly shoving his hand under her gown.

"Nay, my lady...Stay a little longer and thou shall not regret it."

Lois was caught off guard and a hint of panic traversed her fogged mind. Without wasting time, she threw a handful of dirt straight in Oliver's eyes. Instantly his grip on her was loosened and she managed to push him off her and stand up. Her runaway though ended abruptly when she bumped on a wide and solid chest. She stepped back mildly surprised, only to see Kal returning the same expression to her.

"What is happening hither?"

"Your friend is drunk, that is what is happening. But if you came all of a sudden to help, you can save yourself from the trouble, i can manage pretty well myself."

"Oh, i seriously doubt he came hither for that...my lady." Oliver's dry laugh cracked the stillness around, as he slowly rose to his feet and approached her from behind.

"What is he..." Lois' words faded as she noticed for the first time Kal's hooded eyes. A primal desire was dancing fervently in his green orbs , revealing a passion that had not yet been tamed. An almost empty bottle was hanging limply from his right hand and, feeling all the blood being drained from her system, Lois realised that the situation was more serious than she had originally thought.

Kal brought the bottle to his lips, swallowing the last cool drops of the wine, his eyes refusing to leave her even for a second. He took in her dishevelled hair along with her now dirty gown, her rough appearance hardening parts of his body that shouldn't be awakened. He threw the bottle away and he followed with his gaze a single drop of sweat as it dribbled down her exposed neck and got lost in the valley of her voluptuous breasts. A valley that , in his mind, craved to be explored.

"You wouldn't dare..." Lois muttered without succeeding in covering the uncertainty in her voice.

"How about watching him daring?" With one swift move, Oliver locked her wrists behind her and , using his own body, he pushed her onto Kal. Lois found herself hopelessly trapped between two vigorous males who outweighed her way too much for her to pin them down on her own. Oliver's sudden shove had brought her belly in perfect contact with Kal's crotch. Under the feeling of hardness she met there, Lois gasped, but Kal hadn't remained unaffected either. With her soft body , even if still clothed, flat against him, he couldn't suppress a low growl rising up straight from his inflamed insides.

Oliver lightly pushed forward once more, rubbing his own bulge on the small of her back. His every move caused more friction between Kal and her and, to her shock, she felt her own body betraying her and moistening itself in order to respond.

"Relax darling...Thou art so lucky, how many times thou thinkst girls like thyself have the honor to come together with not one, but two royalties?" Oliver whispered as he nibbled her ear.

Lois opened her mouth to answer but she was hushed by Kal's thumb, as it traced the outline of her lips. He trailed his hand lower, following the path of the previous sweat drop. Caressing her soft skin, his hand reached her right breast. He took a moment to weight it, and after giving it a light squeeze , he moved even souther , not really realizing what he was doing. Gripping her hip, he paused his exploration and stared blankly at his shameless hand.

What was he doing? He was unable to perceive at which point he had stopped being a logic man and had turned to an animal, an animal that just blindly obeyed his urges. Had wine turned both him and Oliver into monsters, taking away from them any hint of decency left, or was it more than that? Cause suddenly he feared that , with his behavior, he was only verifying every joke and rumor that had reached his ears about nobles.

"Come on, Kal...she is just a peasant." Oliver interrupted his thoughts, smelling his hesitation. Kal gazed up at him perplexed. But hearing Oliver talking so slightingly about Lois, while slowly lowering the strands of her dress, somehow trigerred his mind again. The pressure of his previous anger was being built up again, to squash his nerves all over. Only this time his fury had no other recipient than his own self.

Letting his hand fall limply by his side, Kal took half step back.

"Nay Oliver. Let her go."

Oliver automatically loosened his grip on her and glanced at his companion, truly baffled. As if waking up from a trance, Lois found the perfect chance to react. She elbowed Oliver in his stomach, who , with his turn, staggered backwards, unintentionally taking her shawl with him as he fell down. Before Kal could mouth anything, she shoved him away from her and leaped away from them.

"You bastards...You think you are so important and above everyone within your royal breeches, but no one...no God, no crown giveth ye the right to treat anyone like this." Lois felt tears welling her eyes.. "I pity your souls for they stink..." Giving them a last look full of disdain , she turned her back and walked away as fast as she could.

"Lois wait..."

In vain Kal cried behind her, he knew she wouldn't stop. Lifting up her dusty shawl from the side of a worn out and drunk Oliver, he could do nothing but hold it dearly and hate himself, as she was disappearing in the night.


End file.
